Pain Management is a Joke!

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the September 22nd Edition

Welcome to Frugal Friday!   What a week it's been.....

There are very few Frugal wins this past week but here goes....

*  Grocery shopping this week was Zero(so far).  But we are going shopping this weekend so that will change. ;-)

*  I used a gift card Hubs gave me for Xmas to buy a BOGO Whopper Deal on Thursday so we each got a Whopper and spent nothing OOP.  This week BK is doing a different special deal item each day of the week.

*  I found money! 

Nope.  Skunked again.   

Total Found in last Week.... .00¢
Total Found this Year.......$3.05

That's all I got. 

 Just sitting home is frugal, right?

Any frugal wins in your neck of the woods?  Let's hear all about them since I don't seem to be able to find much!

Sluggy   

Great Road Trip of 2017.....Part Seventeen/Day Fourteen

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

We rose early and headed out but first Kim and Joel wanted to stop off at their alma mater, the University of Montana.

I took a photo of them with the "Grand Griz" statue.

Hubs with the statue.

The Fall Season at the university hadn't commenced yet but the school was gearing up for students to move onto campus as evidenced by this electronic recycling dumpster next to one of the dorm builldings.

Kim and Joel happened by a professor while heading back to the car and spent a bit of time talking to this fellow.  I had no clue who he was so I snapped some photos of the campus grounds. lol

Back on the road and heading to Lolo, Montana.

I believe this was the Bitteroot River.....

Before we climbed the elevation.  The air was heavy with wildfire smoke that Summer.

And we stopped up on the Lolo Summit.

The trip by modern vehicles along the Lolo Trail takes quite a bit less time than it took Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery back in 1805.  The Corp and their area guides, among them a Shoshone native called Toby, took 11 days to cover 200 miles in the Bitterroot Mountains on their westward journey.

Now there is a nifty little Visitor's Center with some information and a gift shop.

A Smokey the Bear ornament.  They could have used Smokey that Summer to prevent forest fires. lol

Some activities for kids in the Visitor Center.

Mugs and Lolo Pass branded bags of coffee for sale.

After 11 days of frostbite, malnutrition and dehydration, Meriwether Lewis wrote in his journal upon climbing down the Bitterroots onto the Weippe Prairie......

". . . the pleasure I now felt in having tryumphed over the rockey Mountains and decending once more to a level and fertile country where there was every rational hope of finding a comfortable subsistence for myself and party can be more readily conceived than expressed, nor was the flattering prospect of the final success of the expedition less pleasing . . .”

And of course, Captain Meriwether Lewis is my 12th cousin 7 x removed.  I posed with the well known drawing of Lewis and Clark but pointed in the opposite direction just because. ;-)  Well they did end up going back East at some point later so I am not wrong.

Outside the Center was  some flat flagstones around the base of a supporting timber for the building and people had left rocks on them.

And this poor little grasshopper had gotten trod upon on the sidewalk there....

On another base was this rather large rock someone had left with words decoupaged upon it.

I flipped it on it's side and saw more words.  This was back when geo-caching was big and so was leaving rocks in interesting places for people to discovery.  I told Kim that Lorraine must have been here. lol

Back on the road and down the mountains and we were crossing over into Idaho on Route 12.

Lots of forest here.....

                                                        

And view back at the Bitterroots amidst the smokey haze....

Then we came to a wonderfully scenic part of the road.....

And when they said "Winding" boy, they weren't kidding!!

We had the West Fork of the Lolo Creek on our right as the road followed the riverbank.....

It was just a lovely drive at this point.....

But yes, the road was VERY winding.

We stopped at a cafè along this road in the middle of nowhere for some lunch.  It was a scorching hot day and I don't recall them having a/c in the restaurant and we were the only people dining there.  They did have ceiling fans going so that helped but it was too hot to eat.

Then it was back on the road and more lovely scenery.

After this part of the drive we stopped at "The Heart of the Monster".  This is the ancestral birthplace of the Nez Pierce Tribe.

There were so information boards.

There is the Heart of the Monster in the distance.  Everyone but me took a walk over to it. 

 I was melting in the heat so I used the porta-potty wandering around the informational boards then sat in the car out of the sun.

Some phonetic Nez Pierce language pronunciations which I attempted while I waited for everyone to walk back.  I discovered that I am NOT a linguist. lolz

And a short time after we got back on the road, we were pulling into Lewiston Idaho.

Anybody want a motor home?  They had lots of them outside of town for sale at a dealership.

A little bit of traffic in town.

Oh boy, another Lewis and Clark sign.  Kim said it drove her nuts, growing up around all this Lewis and Clark history as they are mentioned constantly and business use them in their business names, etc..

You can't get away from Lewis and Clark.  In fact, the town of Lewiston is named for my ancestral cousin and across the Snake River from Lewiston is the town of Clarkston Washington, named for Lewis' cohort, William Clark.

Maybe an interesting aside here.....I worked at the Virginia Opera Company with a woman who told me she was related to William Clark.  This was when I was in my 20's, long before I did any genealogy and found I was related to Meriwether Lewis.  We were cousins and didn't know it at the time.

On the way to Kim's house, passing by a Zip's gas station.  I just looked now and that business is shutdown.  It was interesting, the convenience store building looked like a Swiss hunting lodge and they sold ready made food too besides the usual gas station convenience store stuff.  I guess the Lewiston-Moscow corridor didn't grow as much as the owners had hoped to keep them profitable.

We pulled into Kim and Joel's driveway late that afternoon.  We met Kim's mother and the dog and cat and then I crashed into the bed after climbing the stairway with no railing! from the basement.  It was still danged hot is about all I can remember of that evening and the a/c wasn't very strong. lol

But we had finally made it to our westward destination.

Yay.

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "I Miss My Morning Glories" Edition.....  

I seemed to have a green thumb with those flowers(other than veggies I have never been much of a gardener).  They just kept volunteering each year in PA and expanding their range and it brought me joy.  I sure do miss them.....

This is day 99 of the "diet".  Yay!

My PCP is on board with this way of eating to reach a short term goal so no unsolicited advice on this eating plan please.  While I appreciate the concerns I am fine and I am losing weight.  I haven't had any sugar nor any white food(mostly).....bread, potatoes, rice, pasta since returning from the cruise on June 4th.  But I am holding fast to my plan anyway.....so far.  I am down an additional 38 lbs. since starting this eating plan(not counting the 8 lbs. I gained on the cruise and then dropped after coming home).

Onward to the meal planning!

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

1. Sunday--Lobster Ravioli in Beurre Blanc, Salad

2. Monday--cup of Choc. Milk, Salad, Pasta w/Mushroom & Meat Sauce

3. Tuesday--Yogurt cup, Roast Chicken, Carrots, Broccoli

4  Wednesday--Protein Shake, Grilled Salmon, Spinach Soufflé

5. Thursday--leftover BBQ Pork, Cole Slaw

6.  Friday--leftover Chicken meal

7. Saturday--leftover Pasta meal or ?

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

1. Sunday--Lobster Ravioli in Beurre Blanc, Salad

2. Monday--cup of Choc. Milk, Salad, Rigatoni w/Mushroom & Meat Sauce

3. Tuesday--Roast Chicken, Carrots, Broccoli

4  Wednesday--Lean Cuisine meal, Protein Shake

5. Thursday--Pasta and Sauce, Corn on Cob

6.  Friday--Yogurt Shake, Crackers and Hummus, Grilled Salmon, Green Beans w/Teriyaki Sauce

7. Saturday--BLT sammie, leftover Rigatoni w/Sauce

Most of the plan happened but not necessarily when it was planned to happen.  I made the Lobster Ravioli, Rigatoni and Sauce, Grilled Salmon meals.  I was feeling puny on Wednesday and forgot to defrost the Salmon in time on Thursday so Wednesday and Thursday went off course. Hubs was responsible for his own dinners beyond the ones I cooked and any leftover meals.

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

I also drink, water, iced tea(unsweetened), and the odd zero sugar soda or Zero sugar Powerade/Gatorade and keep my stomach full and it also keeps me hydrated.  I mostly stick with the water or unsweet iced teas with lemon added.

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

*  1 bag of Lobster Ravioli

*  1 whole Chicken

*  1 lb. Ground Beef

*  1 Hunk of Salmon

*  2 Lean Cuisine meals

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

*  4 more Lean Cuisine meals

*  2 pints of Ice Cream

Last week we spent $62.60 on grocery shopping.  

Total shopping comes to 307.82 for September.   

There are 13 shopping days left in September.

I've earned $87.25 on Ibotta in September.

I've earned $23.00 on Shopmium in September.

I've earned $0 on Coupons dotcom in September.

I've earned $4.00 on Alexa app in September.

I've earned $0.60 on Kroger Cash Back in September.

I've earned $0 on Checkout 51 in September.

I've earned 1,457 points from food shopping on Fetch in September.

I've earned 1,128 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in September.

I've earned 14 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in September.

That is $114.85 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $307.82 of grocery spending so in reality it's $192.97 in food spending after the 6 rebate apps I count. 

My savings percentage for the last week was 32.08% and the monthly savings total for September comes in at 37.88% so far spent.  

Leftovers going into this week....some of that whole chicken, broccoli and carrots, rigatoni and sauce.

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

1. Sunday--grilled Steak, Spinach Soufflé

2. Monday--leftover Pork BBQ, Coleslaw

3. Tuesday--Quesadillas(using leftover Chicken), Veggie TBD

4  Wednesday--Cheeseburger(no bun), leftover Coleslaw

5. Thursday--?  Hubs is cooking

6.  Friday--Catfish, Veggie TBD

7. Saturday--Lean Cuisine meal

I'll cook the Steak, BBQ, Quesadilla, Cheeseburger and Catfish meals.  Hubs will eat and do his own thing on other days or have leftovers from those meals.   I'm not feeling any cooking mojo right now.  Can't do roasts, stews, etc. as it's still in the 90's here even though it's Fall so it's stovetop or outside grilled meals mostly.

I also drink, water(usually with lemon), iced tea(unsweetened), and the odd zero sugar soda or Zero sugar Powerade/Gatorade and keep my stomach full and it also keeps me hydrated.   I mostly stick with the water or unsweet iced teas with lemon added.

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Nothing I can think of right now.  Will grocery shopping happen this week?  Maybe not.

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?  

Sluggy   

Stupid Stuff Lately

 *  Since moving here I have started collecting photos of stuff I find on the ground in public areas, besides money.

Here is my collection of dental pick photos....

In July at the medical facility on the sidewalk where I was receiving PT.

In August under a clearance shelf inside an Ollies store. ick

And in September at a different medical building's parking lot where I went to get bloodwork done.

And here is an oldie in my photo file of a dental pick I found in Ocean City, after Hubs and I went to the Walmart near there on a brief trip to OC following my gall bladder surgery in 2020........

And another golden oldie from the Rite-Aid parking lot where I use to live......

Why do people think it's ok to throw these nasty used things on the ground/floor?  Before we left PA(for the 2 years previous)I had been seeing these things discarded in parking lots at the grocery store, outside restaurants and Rite-Aid.  At R-A there is a trash can RIGHT THERE NEXT TO THE DOOR!  You'd think people who place these things in a trash can right there but no.  Please tell me why people behave like this....

*  Here's the statement I got from LSU for various doctor appointments going back to June.  I went on the portal in July and saw they had put my account on paperless billing.  I NEVER elected that option so I emailed the billing department and let them know once they send me a "real" bill I shall pay it promptly.  I want a paper trail when it comes too debt and I don't pay this stuff online through a patient portal.

Someone in billing wrote back the next day and said they'd switch the paperless nonsense off on my account, but still no bill was sent to my address.....for 2 MONTHS.

Then it showed up this past week.  Notice the big red letters.......

THIRD STATEMENT.
Really??
I never received Statement One or Two thankyouverymuch!  Don't you accuse me of ignoring my medical bills LSU when you never sent them.

*  While at Ollie's in August we parked near this van..........

That's another problem with people parking improperly in handicapped spaces, even if they display handicapped placards or license plates on their car.  People transporting wheelchair bound folks shouldn't have to have a sign on their vehicle like this.  But no, I can't even count the number of times I've seen people park in the crosshatching areas next to a handicapped parking space so the properly parked vehicle can't unload a wheelchair.  Crosshatching areas are NOT parking spots!  Does that needs to be a question on driving tests? lolz

And then there are the idiots who just make up their own spot, parking next to a row of parking spots and not IN a parking spot.  Seen my fair share of those clowns in a number of states(VA, MD, PA, MA, WV, LA, TN to name a few).

The last time we went to Friendly's(a casual restaurant chain that originated in New England but has expanded into Middle Atlantic states along the East coast)in PA I took a photo of the menu.  Can you find the typo?

Hint-It's in the Asian Chicken Entrée Salad description. ;-)

This one is almost as good as the Asian Hibachi restaurant in PA that had an entrée of "Red SNAPPLE" on it's menu. (It was suppose to be Red Snapper.)  I always find stuff like this amusing.

Oh I almost forgot.  Earlier this week in the afternoon we had someone banging hard on our front door.  It was the Sheriff's Department for the Parish.  They were looking for someone who used to live here.  I remember we had gotten a letter or five for this guy a few months back from the local courthouse which we returned to the PO.  The mail in question seemed to be some legal thing like a summons for the criminal court.

This gives you an idea of the caliber of folks the people who owned this house before rented it out to.  I've got a long list of names we got mail for, folks who once lived here but no longer did at the time we bought the house.  Many of the mail items were letters from the Truancy Board, letters from various area courts as well as notices from legal entities in other Parishes.  There might have been a paycheck mixed in among all this and the insurance letters as well as the credit card notices.  Seems nobody left forwarding addresses?  I don't get not doing so if you were waiting on pay of some kind but totally get the people in trouble with the law not doing so. lol

I guess the previous owners rented to anyone who could come up with enough to pay the rent and didn't do any kind of background checks on tenants. 8-)

That's all I got.8-)

What amusing or aggravating things have you experienced lately?

Sluggy