The New Usual

I seem to be running out of hours in the day. It used to be that I got home from work, fed the dogs, cleaned the house, showered and then settled in with my computer to write on my blog, catch up on Facebook and watch something online. Now I come home, feed the dogs, clean, help my parents with whatever questions they have (anything from where is the boy scout meeting to how do I register my credit card online), water my new plants, maybe eat dinner that my mom made, take a shower and finally get in to bed around 10. I am hoping that the after work projects slow down soon so I can get back to my usual routine.

Today I took my parents to the thrift store. My mom was looking for a bookshelf but they didn't have anything suitable. I found 3 shirts, my dad got 4 shirts and my mom got some too. I was hoping to buy 5 shirts so I could go a whole week without repeating my usual wardrobe but 3 shirts is a good start. After that we went to Big Lots and found a tall bookshelf for $35. I didn't have my truck with me so I came back and got it later. Then I took my terrier to the vet for his shots. He freaked out as usual but I had a muzzle on him so he didn't bite the vet this time. Poor dog.

The bookshelf is still in the box in the back of my truck. There's another project for the list. Maybe we will tackle that tomorrow.

Spending Spree

I have noticed my spending habits slowly increasing over the past few weeks. A few extra things at the grocery store, 6 songs from Amazon, an online book (did you know you can buy Kindle books and read them on Amazon's Kindle Cloud Reader so you don't have to own a Kindle?), a baby gift and housewarming gift for friends, a new collar for my dog. I managed to avoid eating out this week but it was tempting.

And then today I asked my friend to watch my dog while I ran over to the thrift store to look for some new bed coverings (the dogs wear them out so fast). While I was there I did a whirlwind look through the shirts because I am soooo tired of my wardrobe. I grabbed a dozen shirts and didn't even try them on. The total for shirts and linens was $65. More than I had planned to spend. I am going to wash them tomorrow and hopefully I made some good purchases. I'm excited. New clothes always make going to work a little bit easier.

I better keep an eye on my spending or else I will start spending it as fast as I make it. I'm even tempted to **gasp** join Netflix. Maybe I should spend more time fixing things around here instead of watching movies. The weather will cool off soon so I won't have the "it's too hot" excuse to use much longer. Time to put some effort in my to-do list.

Soggy Saturday

Someone decided it would be better if we started the adoption events earlier so I got there at 11:15 instead of 12. The only problem with that idea is that we were supposed to be able to leave early but some people left their dogs there and didn't collect them until after 4 so it was just a really long day. It wouldn't have been so bad except no dogs got adopted. There goes another Saturday.

On the way home it poured down rain. I couldn't even see and the streets were getting flooded so I pulled over and waited a while. When it seemed to be letting up I continued my drive. I was sure that my road would be washed out. After a mile or so it started to dry out and by the time I got home it was completely dry. I don't think I got any rain at all at my place. That's ok though because I have about 700 gallons of water now and I don't want my road to wash out.

Tomorrow I am headed back in to town to look at houses. I extended my search area and I have 6 homes to see. Hopefully these houses won't be as trashed as the ones I saw last week.

New Shirts, New Socks, New Shoes

It was my first holiday of the year today since they re-assigned our President's Day holiday because too many people in our East coast offices were behind in their work because of snow days. I don't count New Year's as the first holiday because it is too close to Christmas.

I took advantage of being off of work while most other people were working and took my truck in for the required emissions testing. There was a confused woman in a mini van in front of me and she stopped in the middle of the road and put her hazard lights on. Then as I was passing her, rolled down her window and was yelling things at me. I assumed she didn't know where the entrance was to the emissions testing place so I slowed and pointed ahead of me. I couldn't hear her because I have manual windows so I couldn't roll the passenger window down. I was hoping she would follow me but in my rear view mirror I saw her turn in to the exit and as I was waiting in line she was walking in to the office. A few minutes later she drove around and got in line 6 cars behind. At least she finally figured it out. The test only took 5 minutes and my truck in good for another 2 years. That's a relief.

After that I stopped at the thrift store because I think it has almost been a year since I have been near the thrift store when it is open and when I don't have a dog in the car. I spent an hour sifting through the clothes. I found a few shirts for work which is great because my wardrobe has become so boring. At least when I have something nice to wear I am a little bit excited to get up and get dressed for work.

Next stop was Ross where I found some walking shoes with big treads for my rocky road. The women's section had flat treads except for one pair of golf shoes. I went to the men's section and found this pair of Sketchers on clearance for $18. Hopefully they will last longer than the hiking shoes I got last year. At least they are a more well known brand name. I bought them a half size bigger and re-used the gel insole from my last pair. I took the dogs for a walk when I got home and there was no sipping and sliding down the road. I also bought some socks to replace my holey ones. New shoes, new socks, new shirts. It was like a mini shopping spree today.

Invisible Laundry

I decided to take 2 dogs to an adoption event instead of going to my rental house today. I had to go back and check the laundromat for my clothes and the adoption event was only one street away so it seemed to be the most practical choice (of course now that it is over and my dogs didn't get adopted it kind of seems like a waste of time but I never know). When I got to the laundromat the attendant said, "Oh yes, there were 2 bags of clothes. They weren't there when I left yesterday but this morning, there they were." And there they were. It was good to get them back even though the thought of buying new clothes was starting to sound appealing. That is something that is on my After The Mortgage list so I shouldn't jump ahead. I think someone picked my bags up by mistake and brought them back later. I am happy to have everything back in it's place.

I am planning to go to my rental house at lunch time every day this week and hopefully I can take Friday off. I bought some cleaner and gloves and I will do some cleaning every day (hmm...isn't that what I was supposed to do this weekend?). I'm bringing a microwave and some frozen dinners because Marie Callendar dinners were on sale for $1.88 so I stocked up. Maybe that will keep my from getting fast food for every meal, not that a frozen dinner is that much better. It is quicker though.

I hope this week of work is easier than last week. I think the people who were on vacation will be back so I won't have to do their work too. My boss comes back from his trip later on this week. That can be good and bad. I'll just have to wait and see.

And The Final Decision Is...

Tile. Yes, I started at tile and I am back to tile and this is why. I got off early from work yesterday intent on going to Home Depot to order the carpet and vinyl plank flooring. When I got there I ran in to an old acquaintance and his friend. We started talking and they said I should put tile in my rental. I told them that I couldn't afford the labor cost for tile and they offered to put it in for me! Or I should say, they offered to help me install tile. My head was spinning because of this new option and I quickly calculated the cost of carpet and vinyl ($2,400) compared to tile, thinset and grout ($1,700+food and drinks). With free labor it would be the most economical choice. I took the leap and bought the materials and they helped me cart them home and unload. We plan to attack the project next weekend and hopefully I will be able to get Friday off to make it a long weekend. It will probably delay renting the house by 2 weeks but hopefully the tile will last a lot longer than the other flooring options.

I still love that vinyl plank flooring though. I think it would be great in my RV just as soon as I get to that point.

I met with the property manager and he says that similar houses are renting for $1,000 a month. That would be fabulous. He told me how his company takes care of screening tenants and collecting rent, evictions and they inspect the house every 90 days to make sure the tenants are taking care of it. If they can get $1,000 a month they will definitely be paying for themselves. I would have thought $900 or $850 would be closer to the average.

I didn't go to the rental house at all today. I wanted to because I need to measure the windows for mini blinds but I ran out of time as usual. This morning I took 7 bags of laundry to the laundromat and spent $40 washing and drying. When I got back home I realised that I was missing all of my dark clothes and a blanket that were all in the same bag. I think someone took them but I will go back tomorrow and look. Maybe someone took it by mistake and brought it back. I know I collected all of my bags that were sitting on the floor and I remember folding my pants when they came out of the dryer. I guess that's one way to force me to change my wardrobe. There went my favorite pair of jeans, my favorite sweatshirt, 2 pairs of pants that I wear to work all of the time and some shirts plus the blanket that I got in high school. I am sad about it and even more annoyed that I will have to go shopping for new work clothes. I don't have time for that! I should have just stayed home and got more water delivered so I could wash my own clothes. At least I wouldn't lose them.

Cozy And Warm

Yesterday my boss said that the office was too quiet and I should have brought a dog. So today I brought a dog. Then he complained because my dog had gas. I just can't make my boss happy!

I finally took the old tattered comforter off of my bed and made it in to a kennel blanket. It is big enough for even my biggest dog cage if I fold it right and it looks good at adoptathons to have something soft for the dog to lie on. The new comforter that I got out of the shed is a nice change but it is very warm. I think the outside temperature goes down to 55 now. Inside might go down to 65. It isn't quite cold enough for a warm comforter but at least it looks better than the old one. The new one is going to take more water to launder it too because it is fluffier. I hope it rains again soon. I seem to be going through a lot more water this year. Might have something to do with having 4 dogs and all of the cleaning and washing associated with the messy mutts.

Wardrobe Change

It was FINALLY chilly this morning. Soon those pesky wasps will go away and this time I will plug the hole so that they don't nest in my RV again. Actually, I hope I don't have the RV next summer.

I slept without the air conditioner last night. Just the fan was on. One of the bad things about the window air conditioner is that the compressor was so loud it would wake me up when it switched on and off. Pretty soon I will have to get the heater out of the shed. I think I will put the heater, it is an electric oil filled radiator, on top of the counter so that the dogs don't mess with it. Last year I used a little ceramic heater and it didn't work very well. I was very cold. Since I spend more time in the mobile home now, the big heater will go in there and the little heater will go in the RV for now. Sure I could use the RV's propane furnace but I think electricity is cheaper. That reminds me, I am almost out of propane again. I need to go buy some this weekend. I don't want my fridge to die and melt my ice cream again.

I was looking for something to wear this morning but everything either needed to be ironed or was in the laundry basket because I didn't have time to do laundry last weekend. I ended up wearing a long sleeve shirt. It is still 86 outside but I don't care, it is Fall weather to me! I love when the seasons change and I get to wear clothes that I haven't worn in a while. It is like having new clothes again. This will keep me happy for a few months so that I won't feel the need to go clothes shopping. I don't spend that much on clothes anyway because I shop at thrift stores and Ross but I should wait. There will be plenty of time for shopping after the mortgage is gone. I can wait 5 months.

Little Things

I suppose most people don't blog about their underwear but then I'm not like most people. I bought two packs last week at Big Lots and I loved them. Usually it is very hard to find undies and when I do I am very happy. Unfortunately one of the pair was two sizes too small. Someone had opened the package and stuffed the wrong one back in. I was bummed so I decided to go back today and see if I could find any more of the same kind. Its very hard to find the same stuff from week to week at Big Lots since they do mainly overstocked items from other places.

I went there today and didn't see any packages left. So I started to dig in the pile at the bottom of the shelf where people had opened packages and left them in disarray. I managed to find two out of the package. I was happy but you never know if you are going to be allowed buy things without a price tag. I kept digging and found another two that had been wrapped in plastic wrap and had a price tag for a dollar less than what I bought them for last week. This was an encouraging sign. At least I would have an example to show the cashier. I kept digging and found two more. I went on the shop for dog treats and saw an employee. I decided to ask in advance because I didn't want to wait in the checkout line only to be disappointed if they said I couldn't buy them. I showed him the ones wrapped in plastic and explained that there weren't any real packages left. He said it shouldn't be a problem.

I was happy but I still had to get through checkout. So I got in line behind one person and her purchase took a very long time and then she wanted to join the rewards club so the clerk had to start all over again. Finally they decided to open a new register and I got to be first and there was the clerk that I had already asked about my unpackaged items. I told him I was very happy to see him because now I wouldn't have to explain my underwear situation to someone new. He thought that was funny. I was able to get 3 2-packs for $3 each. I am very glad that I went back. Now I won't have to worry about underwear shopping for a very long time.

New-to-me Still Counts As New

Last night I was very happy to see an update on the shaggy momma dog that was in danger of being put to sleep at our over-crowded dog pound. She found someone to rescue her. I was very relieved. Then, this morning, the Rescue put out an emergency alert that said 17 dogs were being put down this morning. They posted some pictures and there were 2 little terriers on there that I had never seen before. I offered to be a temporary foster for those 2 until they could find someone else. I waited to hear back but didn't hear anything more so I went shopping. This evening I saw the list of 10 dogs who were put down but the terriers were not on the list. I think someone mixed up the old rescue list with the new rescue list. Sure enough one of the terriers showed up on the new list. At least he will have a chance to get rescued now. I see people inquiring about him already so I doubt I will be needed which is a good thing. 4 dogs are plenty for me for now.

I went to the thrift store and bought a jeans, brown pants, 3 shirts and one blue over-shirt type thing, and some around-the-house shorts. Then I went to Target but I had the same problem that I always have in their undies department. Wrong style, size, color, or fabric type. I finally found something close to what I wanted but then I looked at the price, $8.50 for two.


I put them back and went to Big Lots. I found some that I like for $4 for two plus I found 3 tank tops for $5 and 6 pairs of socks for $4. Total cost at the thrift store $28 and Big Lots $13. That will give my wardrobe a little help. Its bad enough that I dread going to work in the morning. At least I can look forward to wearing some new outfits without spending a lot of money.

Wrap-Up For The Week

What a crazy week that was. After my computer decided to be uncooperative I ordered a Netbook. Then someone asked why I didn't replace the hard drive in my old computer. I found a hard drive online for only $40 and asked a computer technician and, of course, they didn't recommend putting any money in to an ancient machine.

So I go the bright idea to look on craig's list. I saw an old machine for $30. Use it for email and internet, the ad said. I called and the guy dropped it off at my office after lunch. I knew it was a gamble but was hoping it would work out. I got it home and hooked up. It's as old as my machine. It connected to the internet and I was happy. Then I noticed a little key icon in the corner. I clicked on it and it said I had 29 more days to register my copy of Windows XP. It seems this guy gets old Windows ME machines and sticks the 30 day trial of XP on there. Well, I do own a copy of XP. I did some research on the internet. Everyone online said that it can only be installed on one computer, although a coworker insisted that it could be installed on 2 computers. The online people said, if you want to put it on another computer, say, if your computer dies, then you can call Microsoft and they might give you a new activation code. I say "might" because I found some people who said yes and some say no. It must depend on how the customer service person is feeling that day. Also, it is very very hard to talk to a human. Support for XP is very small and soon to be extinct.

So, in 29 days I will install my copy of XP and try to contact a human. If that fails, I might try installing Linux which is free or at least cheap. I was reading the tutorial today and it looks like I would have to buy the CDs because I don't have a CD burner. I will see how much effort I want to put in to it. My Netbook will be here Monday and I might be thrilled with it. The only reason I wanted an old machine is so that I could use my old printer a little bit longer...just another year or so. Oh, and my old computer started working again. I know, I don't understand it. I am using it right now and it's fine. It's like it had a little tantrum or something. Maybe I wasn't giving it enough attention. The Netbook will be much easier to use in the mobile home I hope. No cords for the dogs to chew. I bought a wireless modem off ebay. I hope it all works together without too much hassle. I am tired of computer drama.

Only 8 More Days

Only 8 more days of work until my vacation. 8 days is nothing right? Our Christmas party (really it's just a dinner) is Saturday and some people are already talking about what they will wear. I can't see buying a special outfit just for one dinner. I have a thrift store blouse that I haven't worn to work yet. I think I can get away with wearing it over a black dress I already have. My only problem is shoes. One guy who is critical of everyone else's clothing said that his girlfriend has over 200 pairs. I said she could lend me one pair for the dinner, that way at least he can't comment on my shoes.

I wonder if I can bring home enough leftovers to make lunches for a few days. I did that last year and was, of course, teased for it. The alternative is to waste the food or stuff myself. I don't see anything wrong with making a good meal last even longer.

Too Much And Too Little

Too much work and too little progress. That's what I am feeling right now. I am slipping behind in my chores. The counter is cluttered, the chair is filling with unopened mail, I have 3 boxes of clothes from my sister that I haven't had a chance to sort though. My life feels unorganized and it is causing me stress. I am exchanging my time for money and the money doesn't seem worth it right now. Oh, sure, I will be happy with the money once the job is finished and all of my paychecks are cashed but right now I am living in disarray and I will be very glad when I have some time for myself again.

I did manage to try on half a dozen pair of hand-me-down jeans and found one that is my new favorite pair. And she gave me a fuzzy hoody jacket which will be my every day office "sweater" from now on. You know, the one you wear at the office when the AC is too high or the heat is too low? It is nice to have some new-to-me clothes for my wardrobe.

And for those of you wondering how my other sister is doing, she is home from the hospital and on bed rest and antibiotics. I am sure her kids are thrilled she is back home. Hopefully they will all be well soon. I'm going to visit them for Thanksgiving but I don't think I'll be able to get the swine flu vaccine before I go. They cancelled the clinic this week for our county because they ran out. At least I can still get the regular flu vaccine...as soon as I get some free time.

To Err Is Human

I heard this conversation at the grocery store today:

Bagger: It's payday today. Yea!
Checker: Do you have direct deposit? I do.
Bagger: No. I don't trust it.
Checker: I don't want to have to go to the bank to deposit my check.
Bagger: I have an online bank so it's no problem.
Checker: I don't trust that online banking.

I was amused by them. One didn't trust direct deposit but used online banking. The other didn't trust online banking but used direct deposit. I use both and have not had a problem but I check up on it every week or two just in case. Any bank transaction, even using a bank teller in person, is susceptible to human and computer error. The most important thing, in my opinion, is to stay on top of it all to make sure it's done right.

In other news, my sister sent me a bunch of clothes. Hopefully I'll find some new outfits to wear. Too bad I don't have time to try them all on yet. I did manage to get home a little early yesterday and do a load of laundry before it got dark. I'm working again this weekend and there was some talk about me working next weekend too. I'll be glad when this other job is over...and I can have some fun with the money I've made (which I haven't seen yet).

Mall Madness

My carpool driver wanted to stop by the mall on the way home so we decided to go in to work a little early and leave a little early so we wouldn't get home too late. We left at 4:30 and headed over to the closest mall which was quite empty. We went to Macy's first and laughed at the fashions and choked on the prices. Then we headed to Dillards and one of the sales ladies was nice enough to point out where the cheap clothes are. Turns out there is a small section called "Investments" which has business casual pants for $30. The clearance rack was even better as some items were marked down to only $9. She found 4 pants and was happy except that she really wanted one of the higher priced pants for $100. I don't think I have ever paid $100 for a clothing item. Oh yes, I bought a wool coat once and a heavy coat. And then there was a pair of leather boots. That was all back in my college days when I didn't have lofty goals like paying off my mortgage. I still have those boots. Maybe they will come back in to fashion soon.

I recognised some of the labels that I had seen in the thrift store. I cannot imagine paying that much for clothes. It did make me want to go shopping at the thrift store again. After looking at the styles they have now, some of those thrift store clothes weren't as hideous as I thought. They are in style! I'm still not sure I would wear them though.

I got home late and had to scoop dog doo in the dark. That's not one of the fun parts of dog ownership or fostership. My pit mix dog finally wore out the squeaker in her ball. What was that, 2 weeks? I did buy a back up ball so she is happily squeaking away. If she goes through 2 squeaky balls a month and they cost $6 for the heavy duty ones, that's $144 for squeaky balls per year. Over the 12 year lifespan of a dog, that's $1,728. That's a lot of money for squeaky balls!

Sleepy Saturday

I'm just hanging around today doing a few chores. I was going to tag along with some friends and go camping at the lake but one of them had to work so we put it off. I suppose my living arrangements could be considered "fancy camping" everyday. I'm just missing the smokey campfire, outhouses and lack of showers. Oh, and most importantly, no air conditioning. Ok, why do I want to go camping? Because some parts are fun and the other parts make me appreciate the little luxuries of life...like air conditioning. :)

I got all of my water transfer chores done and did a load of laundry. I went in to the mobile home to stack my recycling. I stared at all of my junk but decided I wasn't motivated enough to sort stuff today. It was already very hot. I could hook up my window air conditioner but I am in no hurry to sort.

Now I should go look through my closet and see if I can put together any new outfits. I'm getting tired of my summer wardrobe but summer is only halfway over for me. I have at least 2 more months to go, maybe 3. Some years it is hot all the way until Halloween. I often ignore shirts if they need to be ironed. This would be a perfect time to make everything in my closet "outfit ready" so I can grab it in the morning. Otherwise, if I'm not wearing an item, I might as well put it in the give-away bag because it is taking up precious space.

Recycling My Trash and Clothes

I started off my day by loading all of my recycling in to my truck. I try to recycle as much as I can because I can drop it off for free and it reduces the amount of trash I have to pay to dump...and of course, it's a good thing to do. I wait until I have a lot before I drive in to town, usually 3-4 months worth. The neighbor's dog was helping me out. This dog lives with the crazy neighbor dog mentioned in earlier posts but this dog is calm and quiet. Luckily I didn't see crazy dog today. Actually, crazy dog has been behaving himself lately. I've seen him a few times and he hasn't jumped on me or used me as a chew toy. Maybe he is getting some training at home.

While I was in town I stopped at the thrift store. I wasn't planning on going to the thrift store but yesterday a friend gave me a big bag of clothes that a friend had given to her. I tried them on but they weren't my size or style. I can't stand high waisted pleated polyester pants even if they're free. I dropped the big bag of clothes at the Goodwill and then went in to browse. I found a lot of things to try on but only 7 of them passed my test. All but one were half off so my total bill for 7 items was $25. Not bad. Some of the labels are J. Jill, Christopher Banks, Ann Taylor, Converse, and Old Navy. I don't care about labels for status but when thrift store shopping it is good to pick brands that are well constructed and will last a long time.

Here's my cat posing with my new-to-me clothes because she just loves being in all of my pictures.

Speaking of cats, I saw this link on Vegan Ruthie's blog and had to post it here. I'm going to share this at work too because I work with engineers and they will think it is hilarious. :)

Engineer's Guide To Cats

My Search For Inexpensive Clothes

I left my place at 9am this morning (that is early for me) in search of a few clothing items to spruce up my wardrobe. The trip to the thrift store last week was discouraging especially after I came home and washed the jeans that I bought for $5 and they SHRUNK! Ack...they are going back in to the donation bag.

I searched through the entire Ross store. I even checked out the guys shirts. I was able to find a pair of jeans for $14 (regularly $54), a shirt for $9 ($24), underwear for $1.50-$2 ($5-$9), and sunglasses for $7 ($36). I don't consider the difference in the price to be a "savings" since I would never buy them for that amount but it is fun to see what their original price was.

After that I headed to Kohls because it wasn't too far away and I wanted 2 more shirts that I could wear for work. I searched out every clearance rack but the closest possibility was a men's shirt for $3.50. It had too much yellow in it for my liking so I passed. Everything else was too ugly and/or expensive. I started to think it would be easier to sew my own clothes. One of the women that I work with sews her own clothes. I also noticed underwear at Kohl's for the regular price of $9. I almost ran back to Ross and bought more underwear for the $2 price but I think I bought enough to keep me stocked for 2-3 years.

I still wanted 2 more shirts so I went to another thrift store that I have often passed but never visited. Turns out this thrift store benefits the local police organization. I always assumed it was a for-profit store. Anyway, I found 2 shirts. One still had the new tags on it, 100% silk, regular price $43. It was marked $8 and was 1/2 off so the final cost was $4. The other was marked $4 and also was half off so I got it for $2. I really wanted some blue or green shirts as those are my favorite colors but I am happy with my purchases.

Now I need to go through my closet again and give more items away. Since I have some new clothes I can quit hanging on to those items that I never wear but keep just in case the right event comes up or I lose weight or I find something to coordinate with it. If I haven't worn it in 5 years it really needs to go live elsewhere. I just don't have the room in my tiny RV closet. Plus I'm sure someone else would love to give it a good home where it would actually be worn.

Where Did My Extra Hour Go?

I got up an hour early because my carpool had an appointment and we had to leave work early. I was excited to leave early all day. At 4pm I was ready to go. I stopped in the grocery store before I went home and bought stuff I did not need...whipped cream, soda, mini candy bars (on sale for 94 cents!), microwave popcorn, apples (apples are what I went to the store to get) and stew meat because I am determined to make beef stew this weekend in my crock pot. I rarely buy beef so that is a big deal for me. $28 and all I needed was apples. Oh well. And I wasted my extra hour. Now I am just extra tired.

This is a short week because I have Friday off. I got my Arizona tax refund deposited in to my account so I have $36 to spend on clothes. Since I didn't find much at the thrift store last weekend I will try Ross' clearance racks and see if I have any better luck. Heck, I'd be thrilled with new underwear. :P

Mondays Are Not My Favorite

Whew, Monday is over. I was busy today, not overwhelmingly busy but a steady stream of work. The printer broke too so I wasted some time trying to get it to work again. In the end, a co-worker used duct tape but it was a short fix. I think I might have a new job duty as printer wrangler girl. We will find out tomorrow if the company will fix it or if they are too cheap.

My truck looks dirty again. The $5 wash doesn't last long when I drive down dirt roads and park under trees. That is why I don't wash my truck often.

While digging through my clothes cabinets (they really are cabinets in this RV) I found a sweatshirt that I have never worn. Turns out it is really comfortable. I prefer button up sweatshirts like the blue one in the picture that I have worn to death but I like this new pullover sweatshirt enough to finally retire the blue one. The cuffs and neck of the blue one are worn and the seams are starting to fray. I don't leave the house in it but it was good for lounging. Now I feel like I have a new sweatshirt and I didn't even have to buy anything. Ok, soon it will be 110 outside and I won't need a sweatshirt until October but now I know I'll have a new favorite. That blue one wouldn't have lasted another winter.