The Great Road Trip 2017.....Part Twenty One/Day Seventeen

Part One of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Two of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Three of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Four of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Five of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Six of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Seven of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Eight of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Nine of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Ten of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Eleven of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Twelve of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Thirteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE  

Part Fourteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE  

Part Fifteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE 
Part Sixteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Seventeen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE 

Part Eighteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Nineteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE 

Part Twenty of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

So we left off with the Buffalo Bill Cody exhibit last time.

Back out into the common area was a Kentucky Flintlock .45 Rifle.

My 7 x Great Grandfather, Robert Baker, and his brothers were the developers of the predecessors of this muzzle loading long rifle that was the stock and trade in the frontier of America from the time of the American Revolution onward.

They were awarded a patent from King William to produce these firearms outside of Philadelphia and once the Revolution happened they turned to producing weapons for the rebelling colonists. I am related to these folks through my maternal Great Grandmother, Lucy Baker.

Then Hubs and I both went into the extensive Native American exhibit.

Lots of examples of pottery and items of daily life of the Plains Indians.

A teepee set up like the one we stayed in on the trip West.....

A tanned hide with pictoral detailing, probably a ceremonial cape.

Plains Indians were a nomadic peoples, following the food supply to hunt.

A beautiful example of a ceremonial chief's headdress

More tools made from metals available.....

A buffalo headdress fir ceremonial and spiritual occasions.  Only elite males of the tribe wore these.

Various weapons used by Plains Indians.  Once they had contact with and traded with the English the "shooting sticks" became a popular item.

A War Lodge.  When traveling through enemy territory these were temporary shelters for Plains Indians.  Being sticks they didn't draw attention to whom might be inside.

Some examples of weaving and an early photo of a native family wearing hand woven garments.

A bone breastplate or chest armor was a popular ornamentation worn by warriors.  They were made of hair pipe bones(from buffalo or birds), attached around the neck with leather thongs and were often decorated with beading.  I bet this was a powerful visual being worn by a warrior(and offered some protection to the chest area).

A bead embellished handmade horse saddle blanket.

A Plains Indian on a horse pulling a litter of goods and an infant strapped to the back in  cradle.

A decorative spear.

An example of pictography, an animal(buffalo?)carved into a rock.

If you ever read "The Revenant", you know this is a type of boat described in the book.  It's a frame in a round basket shape.  I've seen it referred to as a piroque, which is a type of Cajun boat still used in Louisiana today.  It's similar to the bamboo constructed round boats still made and used in Vietnam.

An elaborate fur, bone or claw? and beaded neck piece.  That thing must weigh a ton!

More decorated lances.

Another decorate hide.

A long woven tapestry decorate with feathers, dye and eagle motifs.

More examples of decorative, wearable arts.....

More Native decorative arts.....

A colored depiction of a buffalo hunt made on a tanned hide....

Then the exhibit got into the sad stuff......

Native children removed from their homes and sent away to schools to become "civilized"......

We all know these many years later how this story ends.....so depressing.

Sure gives creedence to the old saying, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." 8-(

We ducked into their gift shop on the way out.

Other than buying a couple of pencils we didn't bring anything else home as it was like the Archway place in Nebraska and way overpriced.

After spending most of the day at this museum we hit the road heading East again.

The next installment when I get around to it. ;-)

Sluggy

The World Has Gone Crazy!

Here's the latest example I found that the world is out of it's mind.

When I went to order the cushion for my ailing coccyx I got to the last screen and saw this........

Under the blacked out name and address and the shipping line do you see where it says "Add tip"?  Then suggested amounts or a place to put in a custom amount?

Buying something online and they now expect you to TIP them?!?

I have no words.....

I used to work as a waitress for quite a few years.  It's customary in the restaurant business to tip your server as restaurants don't pay a decent wage to servers and their tips are most of their income.  My base wage barely covered the state and federal taxes I had to pay out of my check.  It's a screwed up system(like healthcare and other entities in this country)but it was what it was.   Heck, I even tip when I get a to-go order at a real restaurant(not fast food).  

But now a business with people working in a warehouse pulling and packing orders expect a tip?  But then again, they don't say whom this tip goes to so how am I to know that this amount isn't getting syphoned off by the business owner or the person taking the order or whomever?

I have already shown my "support" for "the team at Cushion Lab" for buying their product.

This is just getting ridiculous!

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Faux Thanksgiving" Edition.....  

Here's the grand dog peeking over the table to see what scraps she can get after we went over Daughter and Son In-Law's house for Thanksgiving on Sunday.

This is day 169 of the new "diet".  Down 52 lbs. since the cruise(not counting the 8 I gained on the cruise and then lost again, which would make it 60 lbs.).  

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned for last week.......

1. Sunday--Cheeseburger after going to the ER

2. Monday--Chicken Parm, Yellow Squash and Onions

3. Tuesday--No  Clue

4  Wednesday--No Clue

5. Thursday--TV dinner?

6.  Friday--No Clue

7. Saturday--No Clue

And here's what actually happened........

1. Sunday--Bowl of Rice Chex, Cheeseburger after going to the ER

2. Monday--Chicken Parm, Yellow Squash and Onions

3. Tuesday--Bowl of Rice Chex, leftover Yellow Squash w/Onions

4  Wednesday--Yogurt cup w/Granola, Chinese Takeout

5. Thursday--Steak, Baked Sweet Potato Fries

6.  Friday--Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich, leftover Chicken Parm and Squash w/Onions

7. Saturday--1 piece of Fruitcake, Bowl of Soup

No going back to old habits and eating patterns for me!

What got taken out of the freezer last week...

*  2 Steaks

*  1 Turkey(for Daughter to cook)

What got put into the freezer last week....

*  1 free Turkey

*  3 lbs. Ground Beef

*  1.25 lb. Salmon

Last week we spent $42.85 on grocery shopping for November.  

Grand Total shopping comes to $236.20 for November.   

There is 3 shopping day left in November.

I've earned $147.02 on Ibotta in November.

I've earned $16.99 on Shopmium in November.

I've earned $0 on Alexa app in November.

I've earned $15.05 on Kroger Cash Back in November.

I've earned $37.19 on TaDa in November.

I've earned $9.00 on Checkout51 in November.

I've earned 4,997 points from food shopping on Fetch in November.

I've earned 1,834 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in November.

I've earned 0 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in November.

That is $225.25 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $236.20 of grocery spending so in reality it's $10.95 in food spending after the 6 rebate apps I count. 

My savings percentage for the last week was 62.62% and the monthly savings total for November comes in at 67.94% spent.  Nice percentages since we used what was left on that travel stipend card last week.

Leftovers going into this week....most of a pumpkin pie, 2 pans of homemade rolls but no other turkey day leftovers as we didn't bring anything home with us,

Here is this week's "food plan".....

1. Sunday--Faux Thanksgiving at Daughter's House

2. Monday--No Clue

3. Tuesday--No  Clue

4  Wednesday--No Clue

5. Thursday--No Clue

6.  Friday--No Clue

7. Saturday--No Clue

No menu planning for me now, mostly things Hubs can do.  I have earned the right not to, in my mind at this point.  I am giving up control of meals to Hubs.  I will put in requests now and then.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any deals on food at your stores this week?  

I may post sporadically after this one or I might not, depending on drugs and stuff. 

Sluggy  

Frugal Friday.....the November 24th Edition

There are very few(if any)Frugal wins this past week so here goes....

*  I went to PT 2x this past week because of the holiday they were closed 2 days.  Good thing I've hit all my deductibles and co-pays so I'm not shelling out cash for this service.

*  Grocery shopping this past week--there was quite a lot with the Thanksgiving deals.

I earned $80.87 back just on Ibotta between 3 trips and Bonuses and spent Zero OOP as I put those shopping trips on that surgery travel stipend card as we had quite a bit left on it. The only cash spent was at Ollie's(where we had a 15% discount offer)$9.76.  That was mostly for snacking nuts and dog treats.

Best Deals at Kroger/Walmart--A Raid Bug Light Trap(better than free after rebate/digital Q), 5 bags of Keebler cookies for Hubs(.49 ea. after rebate), 2 Hagen-Daas Yogurts(.67¢ ea. after rebate), 4 boxes of Rice(.48¢ ea. after rebate and an any rice rebate), Nature's Own dinner rolls(.50¢ after rebate and Kroger Cash Back offer).  I also maxed out the Sweet Potato Deal(.29¢ per lb. up to 5 lbs.)as we love Sweet Potatoes and the dogs do too. 8-)

Unlocked my Free Turkey Offer on Ibotta too last week so picked that up at Walmart.  No matter the price you got $14.35 back.  My turkey was a .30¢ moneymaker. lol

*  Had to go to the ER on Sunday afternoon as my coccyx had become unbearable to sit down upon.  This problem has been brewing for 3 months now as I've lost weight(got no padding on my butt now. lol)but it had become unbearable this past week.  X-rays showed my tailbone wasn't broken, just bruised and the attending MD thought activity on the exercycle at PT had exacerbated the condition so I am to lay off the bike at PT for now.  Frugal point is I had no co-pays for the ER visit.

*  I found money!

A penny in the driveway at the ER on Sunday night as I was leaving, after walking past a police woman guard and her shackled orange jumpsuit clad prisoner as they were going into the ER.  That was after watching 20 staff and police subdue a crazy man who was being committed attempted to leave and another guy who was pissed off because he had waited "30 minutes" to be seen(we were there for hours!)so he started cursing at the security guys(big F word cursing)such that one of them pulled out his weapon and they walked him out of the ER waiting room and stood guard for 1/2 an hour outside the entrance to make sure he didn't come back in with a weapon and shoot up the place.  Geez!

And another penny near the door at Walmart when I went to get my better than free Turkey on Tuesday.

Total Found in last Week.... .02¢
Total Found this Year.......$3.47

That's all I got.

Any frugal wins in your neck of the woods?  Let's hear all about them!

Blogging will be taking a backseat to getting me healed so there might not be many posts here for the foreseeable future.8-)

Sluggy   

This Week on the Dining Table.....the November 20th Edition

The "Not Feeling Food Lately" Edition.....  

My pre-surgery drink "after shot".

This is day 162 of the "diet".  Yay!  If you can call what went on lately as a "diet".  Down 51 lbs. since the cruise(not counting the 8 I gained on the cruise and then lost again, which would make it 59 lbs.).  

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned for last week.......

1. Sunday--Beefaroni

2. Monday--No Clue

3. Tuesday--No  Clue

4  Wednesday--No Clue

5. Thursday--No Clue

6.  Friday--No Clue

7. Saturday--No Clue

And here's what actually happened........

1. Sunday--Beefaroni

2. Monday--Biscuit w/Cheese, leftover Chicken Stir-Fry

3. Tuesday--Bean Burrito and Churros

4  Wednesday--1/2 Bagel Cream Cheese, 2 Catfish Pieces, Okra, Coleslaw, 5 Ravioli in Sauce

5. Thursday--1/2 Cheeseburger, 3 Onion Rings, Grilled Pineapple

6.  Friday--Yogurt cup w/Granola, leftover Catfish and Okra, a Jelly Biscuit

7. Saturday--small Caesar Salad w/Chicken, 3 leftover Onion Rings

No going back to old habits and eating patterns for me!

What got taken out of the freezer last week...

* 1 bag of Mushroom Ravioli

What got put into the freezer last week....

* 1 container of Ice Cream

Last week we spent $9.76 on grocery shopping for November.  

Grand Total shopping comes to $148.55 for November.   

There is 10 shopping day left in November.

I've earned $114.17 on Ibotta in November.

I've earned $16.99 on Shopmium in November.

I've earned $0 on Alexa app in November.

I've earned $6.05 on Kroger Cash Back in November.

I've earned $31.11 on TaDa in November.

I've earned $6.00 on Checkout51 in November.

I've earned 2,579 points from food shopping on Fetch in November.

I've earned 1,834 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in November.

I've earned 0 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in November.

That is $174.32 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $148.55 of grocery spending so in reality it's negative $25.77 in food spending after the 6 rebate apps I count. 

My savings percentage for the last week was 94.82% and the monthly savings total for November comes in at 70.42% spent.  

Leftovers going into this week....don't know, don't care.  1 slice of pizza.

Here is this week's "food plan".....

1. Sunday--Cheeseburger after going to the ER

2. Monday--Chicken Parm, Yellow Squash and Onions

3. Tuesday--No  Clue

4  Wednesday--No Clue

5. Thursday--TV dinner?

6.  Friday--No Clue

7. Saturday--No Clue

No menu planning for me now, mostly things Hubs can do.  I have earned the right not to in my mind at this point.  I am giving up control of meals to Hubs.  I will put in requests now and then.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any deals on food at your stores this week?  

I may post sporadically after this one or I might not, depending on drugs and stuff. 

Sluggy 

OCTOBER 2023 To-Do List Outcome

What was suppose to get done in October......

*  Pay Bills  DONE  Always done first.  No bills put on credit cards and balances carried forward.

*  Go to Ridiculous Amount of Dr. Appointments  DONE  I can't even remember how many.....the cardiologist here, 2 appointments with the surgeon in OH, 3 PT sessions in OH, the DME doc in OH, the pre-admission testing doc in OH, a wound check with my old NP in LA, 7 more PT sessions in LA before Oct. ended.  I'd call all that a ridiculous amount. 8-)

*  Fly to Ohio  DONE  

*  Have Surgery  DONE  See previous post on that

*  Fly Home  DONE  This almost turned into a disaster thanks to the third party healthcare provider our insurance used.  You would think they'd seat someone who just had knee surgery 2 days before(and could not walk as her walker had to be in the cargo hold and not stowed in the passenger area of the plane)in the front of the plane.

*  Start PT for Knee  DONE  It's been slow going due to other medical issues but I show up and make the effort.

*  Clean and Organize Stuff in House  PASS   I did a little as I was able before leaving town for OH.

*  Buy Stuff for House  DONE  The only things besides groceries, etc. that were bought were materials needed to replace the kitchen sink/countertops.  Hubs was in charge of all that.  Hubs also has been spending on other things that need fixing/doing around the house.

The sink and countertops finally got installed!

Don't you love the avocado green tiles they used for a backsplash?

This part of the counter looks like someone took a sander to it.

And the sink was fiberglass and had been mistreated so badly that the finish was flaking off.

And here is the new stuff.......

A new stainless sink and new faucet too.

*  Buy a CD  DONE  I took some excess cash out of the checking account and bought a 12 month CD to earn a little more in interest on that money.

*  Do Something Fun  FAIL  I had hoped to do something fun before flying off to OH for surgery because I was going to be in no shape to have "fun" after then in October.  We had won 3rd place at Trivia at the burger joint we like a month or so ago so I had hoped to go eat for free at Trivia in early October.  Daughter gave us the news that this branch of the burger chain closed down in October so that was a no go.  And now I have to find another branch of this burger joint to use this gift card at and the closest one is in Dallas. sigh

*  Clean out Inserts/Coupon Envie  DONE  Not much of a job this one anymore and I'll be taking it off my To-Do Lists going forward.

*  Edit More Photos  PASS  Been editing photos and moving them into folders but I still have a lot more to work through.

*  Post about Old Trips  PASS  I think I worked ahead and got two installments of the month long Western Adventure in 2017 posted before leaving for surgery.  Needless to say with all the medical stuff I slowed down on this goal after surgery. 8-(

*  Work on Genealogy  PASS  This is one of the few things I can do right now while recuperating from surgery so I work on it when I feel up to it.  I haven't posted anything genealogy stuff but I do work on it.

*  Move Video Files to New Computer  FAIL  I didn't even attempt this with so much other stuff going on.  Some day......

*  Plan Travel for the Holidays  PASS  While we really don't have any plans yet for Xmas, I had hoped to be far enough along to go see my youngest in PA for Thanksgiving but I made the judgement call that it's too soon for my knee to sit in a car for 3 days each way for that trip.  Daughter is going to her in-laws for Thanksgiving with her Hubs and while her Hub's mom invited us again this Thanksgiving I am just not up for being there with a ton of Daughter's Hub's father's kids/spouses/baby daddies/grandkids/great grandkids from his first marriage.  I don't know these people, even after last Thanksgiving and being in pain and around strangers is a very foreign way to celebrate turkey day.  I appreciate the invite but no thanks.  So Hubs and I will be alone for Thanksgiving.

Daughter decided to hold a 2nd turkey day the Sunday after Thanksgiving and invite us.  I've got almost everything for the meal so I'll have Hubs take it over the day before so it won't cost them much if anything.  But now the issue is what are Hubs and I going to eat for "real" Thanksgiving?  I'm not a big fan of turkey anyway so having it twice in a week is not going to happen.  And I'm not up for cooking or going to a restaurant filled with yet more strangers.  We had hoped the Chinese restaurant by my PT facility would be open so we could get takeout but sadly for us, they will be closed.   So I guess we'll sit home and eat whatever is here.

I am hoping with all the medical testing I am still going through, by mid December I will feel up to going to PA to see younger son and his partner.  We'll have to wait to leave after Daughter's birthday in mid December however because last year the Panama cruise kept us from being here for her birthday.

That's all I got.

Sluggy