12,074

 I did 12,074 steps today. Which is 5.05 miles. John had to walk further to get less steps.  That is the penalty for being taller and having longer legs.  

Post Pandemic Shopping

 I am really beginning to hate post pandemic shopping.  Big retailers say come to our stores to buy what you need. So I went to the stores only to be told that item that they used to stock in stores is only available on line.  However they will order what they think I want or that they are over stocked with and not what I want.  

So now I try calling the store ahead of time when it literally across town.  I land up at an out of country call center where I repeat my question a minimum of 5 times and the person just wants to data harvest.  If we land up getting through to the store, they don’t carry it in the store. Then we get a callback from the out of country call center saying head on over they have them in stock. 

A Hint to Big Companies. Customers don’t like or need the run around that you are handing out. We don’t have to shop at your stores.  Customer service is job one, yes I said job one.  Without customers buying whatever you are selling you are out of business.  We deserve and demand good customer service.  

I am going down through sizes at a good clip right now.  When I lose a size, I really need to try on what I want to buy instead of just guessing.  Please try to do better.  Running companies has always been hard work.  Companies that are not well run fail.  Poor customer service can cause problems to your bottom lines.  Which leads to Chapter 11 or 13.  Both you may want to avoid if at all possible, it’s really bad for you if you depend on quarterly bonuses to pay you personal bills. 

Please try to make shopping like it was 2019.  When shopping was easier for all involved.  We need a reason to get off the computer and head to the malls.  The extra walking is good for us.  The selection should be awesome.  

The Tucson Version

 Last night it started snowing at our house.  Since we live in the Sonoran desert. This is a rare occurrence. I stayed up past midnight to watch the snow and get pictures. 

This morning the Santa Catalina Mountains looked like this. I also put today’s date on the barbecue instead of building a snowman. I don’t think my hand would have liked that. I just finished what John started. It was a fantastic idea.  

Four hours later the Santa Catalina Mountains looked like this.   

The snow did not last long. We did however get 1/2 inch of rain and melted snow in our rain gauge.  Some of our plants are worse for wear, others our fine.  I tend not to baby my outdoor plants.  The need to be able to survive on their own in our beautiful desert climate.  

Water from melting snow ran off the roof for at least a couple of hours.  So the ground got a good soaking.   I stayed inside, except to take pictures.  

Wednesday

 While I was cleaning yesterday I found 3 years worth of so last century day planners. My feeling on the subject is that if I have not needed the information since 1993, 1994 or 1995, I really don’t need to keep it.  I also managed to empty 4 inches of shelf space.  They are now in the recycling bin.  

It is currently snowing at our house. The only place it has not melted is on the barbecue.  The only question is will there be any left by the time I wake up tomorrow morning.  All I have to say about this winter is that the weather has been very weird.  We are fluctuating between the mid 70’s to snow to lows in the teens.  

Part of the backyard covered in snow. Not enough for a snowman.  This is a big deal in Tucson.  

A Big Fan of Le Creuset

 Some people wonder why I am such a big fan of Le Creuset Cookware.  It all started after we got married and moved into our first house in the mid 1980’s.  I really wanted a great pan that would last for at least 10 years. I knew that Le Creuset was very expensive.  A very good quality pan from a good company.  But there was away that I could get at least one piece as a newlywed.  My dad and I pooled our Betty Crocker Catalog points.  With at least a 6 x 9 inch envelope full of points bundled up and a check for $35.00, I got my first piece. The money was from rebates and using coupons when I went grocery shopping.  The Betty Crocker Company use to put point’s coupons on everything that they sold.  I used those points for everything in my kitchen including my Oneida silverware, white Corelle dinnerware set which is also still in use, I bought this before I got married.

Fast forward to February 28, 2023.  The pan I bought in the mid 1980’s, is the pan I am using to cook dinner in tonight.  It is a simple Salsa Verde Chicken.  

1 double chicken breast 

1/2 cup Salsa Verde and water

Spray the pan with nonstick olive oil. Place the chicken in the casserole dish.  Wash your hands with hot soapy water.  Cover with the Sals Verde Sauce. Pour the water around the edges of the chicken.  

Bake at 350f for 35 to 45 minutes. It is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165f. The extra water makes the chicken more tender.  

This is dinner for 2 nights for us.  When we were younger we would eat this as 1 meal for 2.  

Over the years I would get more pieces for myself and my daughter.  I even passed down 1 pan that I could no longer lift do to arthritis.  My daughter now uses it for holidays.  In the long run the pan has cost less than $1.00 per year.  Over the years I have gotten a few more pieces, but the heart shaped pan is still my favorite.  It ranks right up there with my Kitchen Aid K-5A mixer bought in 1978 for a whole paycheck and still in use today.  

A Home Run

 I think I am keeping my local department store in business.  I bought 3 more pairs of pants in a smaller size today.  They were sitting at center waist today.  I expect that in 6 to 8 weeks they will be at the base of my rib cage. If this trend continues once spring arrives, you will see me in almost nothing but dresses.  I can wear a shift type dress down through at least a couple of sizes.  Although since I bought all but one of my dresses before I started losing weight I will have to try them all on to see if they still work  That should be at the end of next month. 

I am still trying to figure out how I got my step count for the day over 8,500 steps.  I have not seen a number like that in a long time.  

The stitches came out today.  I will have to start physical therapy at home in earnest tomorrow.  My hand is still sore. I did not try knitting yet.  I did a bit of spinning though.  

John did the tall person thing today. We cleared half a shelf of books that we no longer need.  I even found a 1st edition on Goldwater from the 1960’s in good shape.  I will see where it belongs next.  We even found my day planners from 1994 and 1995.  I will shred them.  Since almost everything is so last century, I don’t think anything will be useful.  

Post Surgery News

 I am getting excited. The stitches come out tomorrow.   Then I can work on some physical therapy to regain full use of my hand and hopefully get rid of the pain.  

I can also use some really big knitting needles to start knitting again.  I make it a point not to knit with stitches in my hand.  I have not been told not to, but all I think about is ouch.  I have 3 projects started that were interrupted by the last round of surgery.  Then maybe I can start knitting the knit along project that I was supposed to start in January and be finished in 8 weeks.  I was to sore and bummed out to go to the last 2 zoom classes.  I really felt like my hand had let me down.