Apartment Building

This was formerly Grace Hospital in our town of Hutchinson KS. I just saw a long ago request for a photo. It's great to have some old buildings refurbished and saved!

Knife Collector?

We have bought several sets of knives over the years. None were very sharp.

This Christmas we were given a set of Farberware knives in a wooden block. ( I was sure

it was something else.)

These knives are sharp! I was able to cut a tomato so thin that if we had received a newspaper

yesterday morning, I could have read it through the slice.

Because of the ice, there was no delivery on Monday but today we received two papers, wrapped

in pink plastic sleeves so we are caught up on the local news.

I'm trying to decide if it's worth a trip to the local thrift store to donate the old knives.

Who wants a dull knife. anyway?

Choices

Yesterday L. wanted a sub sandwich for lunch. Remembering our last experience with trying to read the menu and pick out what we wanted from all the items shown, I signed on the their web site and wrote down what we wanted. It went much better at the speaker. Type of sandwich, Spicy Italian, check. Type of bread, Italian, check. Type of veggies, lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, pickles, check. Type of cheese, American, check. Type of sauce, brown mustard, check. Then a new question. Do you want it toasted? Yes, please. She repeated it all back and said, "That was Provolone cheese?" To keep it simple, the answer was yes.




So she quoted a price and we drove around to the window. Quick service and home to eat. Well, it was not toasted so I guess that's why the service was so quick. No complaint really. I'm sure that it is not an easy job to keep all of those hundreds of choices straight. But we both decided that toasting makes a big difference in the quality of a sub sandwich.

Tangled

Last night I left my "work" on the table where I was working and in the middle of the night, L. found it in the dining room, on the floor with quite a mess. This morning it took me an hour and fifteen minutes to get it sorted out. I thought four year old puppies were past the chewing stage. Well, to be fair, they didn't chew it up; just tangled it up.

Styli or Styluses?

Turns out both are correct for the plural with styluses also acceptable. We had this discussion this week when I lost the rubber tip from the little sparkly stylus shown  in the center.
A year ago our son and family gave me a tablet and I told him I would buy a stylus. He said they give them away. Since I didn't find any free ones, I shelled out $7.00 for the cheapest one I could find at the "Office" store .Our granddaughter found the lost tip and she used Guerilla Glue to replace it so I wouldn't lose it again. So after the glue was dry, I used the little jeweled expandable and guess what! It doesn't work. Evidently the glue made the tip too rigid.  I would love to take it back to the store and tell them, "This doesn't work anymore." I can imagine what they would think of an old granny in tennis shoes claiming, "It's broke!"



So our son and granddaughters bought me a set of three to replace it. (The small boxes are made from old greeting cards folded and trimmed. A friend, Marie Hubbard, taught me how to make them. So cute!)

More Hats

Yes, I've been making more hats. However, I bought one last Saturday at a terrific craft sale that is put together by a friend. She had over one hundred vendors and it was really fun to look and buy! The cream/ecru one is the one I bought. It's called a puff pattern. All my life I have called this type hat a stocking cap. My granddaughter called them "beanies." So the dictionary was checked and sure enough - beanie is not just a term for a hat worn by Brownie Scouts years ago. It is a stocking cap.

Zenith radio - 1937-39

These photos of Zenith radios are the one we were using when the news of Pearl Harbor was announced on December 7th, 1941. The tree with the Christmas tree is the actual radio in our son and daughter-in-law's home. The last one is an item for the magazine, Reminisce.

Days of Horses

This is a photo from 1998. Our oldest granddaughter during a lesson on riding - where else but in Horse Country - Kentucky!

Peppernuts!

Today we received a box of our traditional Christmas cookies, peppernuts. When I was a kid, my aunt in Halstead, KS, made these. Twelve cups of flour make a lot of little marble sized, hard as a rock cookies. It's the anise flavor that is soooo good. They are also called Pfeffernusse...not quite sure of that German spelling! And now from Halstead, through Hutchinson and on to Portland, OR; the grand girls made these. We have the photos to prove that they were made by hand and I'm sure much love...unless they got tired of rolling out those little pebbles.

The Damage is Worse

We lost some huge branches out of the flowering pear tree and the other tree that had both white and pink blossoms and an occasional hard apricot. So much damage all over the area!

Iced Over

This is the north side of our screened-in back porch this morning. The door is frozen shut but the doggie door was open. I didn't watch to see if the doggies slid down the ramp to the yard. Today is trash day but the polycarts are frozen shut too so no pick-up for us. I wonder if all the neighbors who have their carts next too the curb thawed out the lids before the trucks arrived. We'll just wait till next week and hope it melts by then.

Happy Thanksgiving

We decided not to have turkey this year. I did buy a box of sage dressing to go with some baked pork chops. And at the deli, I got a quarter pound cranberry sauce. (I'm the only one that eats it.) So this evening, the doorbell rang and our neighbor brought us a covered dish full of turkey. She wondered if we would be having turkey so she shared some with us! We have the best neighbors. She uses her mower to pick up our leaves; the retired lawman across the streets mows; the neighbor to the north shovels snow. They won't take $$ so I've shared some food items from time to time or gift cards to favorite restaurants. We are so lucky to have such nice people around. I hope everybody has a happy day tomorrow. We will have turkey after all!

Knives

With all the chopping and cutting and cooking, I have been making good use of this set of knives. We saw them at the hardware store a couple of years ago. I thought it would be nice to have new, sharp knives that match. Too bad they don't seem all that sharp.

Cooking From the Internet

This did not post in the format that it was typed in! Sorry it runs all together.... Chicken Pot Pie 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 cup celery, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 3 or 4 medium sized carrots, chopped 3 or 4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 (15 ounce) can mixed vegetables or veg-all, drained 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted 3/4 cup chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme Topping: 1 cup original bisquick 1/2 cup evaporated milk 1 egg Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Melt butter in skillet on top of stove and add onions, celery, chicken pieces, pepper, garlic, and salt. Saute until onions and celery is tender and chicken is cooked. While chicken is cooking place carrots and potatoes in 2 quart casserole dish and cook in microwave for 8 to 10 minutes on high until tender. Remove casserole from microwave and add cooked chicken, onions, and celery to carrots and potatoes .Pour in mixed vegetables. In a bowl combine the chicken soup and chicken broth and thyme and whisk together. Pour over casserole and mix with a spoon. In a separate bowl mix the Bisquick, evaporated milk, and egg. Whisk well. Pour over vegetables and spread evenly over the top. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 – 40 minutes until golden brown on top. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Enjoy! Note: You can make this with ham, hamburger, and beef, too. I had everything except potatoes and canned mixed veggies. I used some leftover rice and some frozen broccoli and cauliflower.

After the Baking

Why is this photo tilted? I straightened it in Picasa but it remains askew here. Anyway, the pot pie was delicious. I plan to freeze some serving sizes today. Even L. liked it!

Chopping

I've done a lot of chopping and peeling in the last two days...baked spaghetti yesterday and chicken pot pie today. Made from scratch! In the photo I am ready to pour the Bisquik batter over the top. It looked pretty thin so I added a little more dry Bisquik. I'll see how this comes out after 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

Light My Fire

Today we were advised to use long matches to light our fireplace gas instead of the handy dandy Bic lighter we had been using. So off to the hardware store. Two boxes of Long Reach Matches were purchased. That ought to last us for a while. I decided to light a candle. Couldn't get that match to strike. We haven't had matches in the house for years. No need for them with a BIC. So what is the deal? The match wouldn't light. Struck it on a rough trivet, some sandpaper, and finally went outside to try cement. Nope. I had looked at the box and noticed that the matches were made of wood from a responsibly managed forest. What I didn't see was the square brown space that was labeled "Strike here." Always read the instructions.

"Homeland"

I know that terms we hear every day have different connotations to different people. The term "homeland" is set in my brain to the time I first heard it during WWII as applied to Nazi Germany. I have visited Germany once. It's a beautiful country and people who are very dear to me have been born there and lived there. I would love to go again in a peaceful time which may not be in my lifetime (what's left of it.) Germany is a beautiful country and like other things in this world, it became known as the birthplace of an evil idea. So now when I hear people talking about the United States as "homeland," it is not a pleasant feeling. Why do ideas stay in the brain that relate to things that are no longer pertinent? It could be worse. They could be talking about the USA as "The Fatherland."

Kindness

At the store, in the fifteen items or less aisle, I had no discount card for the clerk to scan. My card is on my key ring and I had left my keys in the car with hubby. I did have a coupon for my one purchase. The woman behind me told the clerk to scan her card! So besides the dollar off, there was additional seventy cents subtracted. Every little bit helps. You can be sure I thanked her for being so neighborly!

Armistice Day

Of course, now it's Veteran's Day. Yesterday. I remembered I have this crocheted version of the doughboy of WWI. We honor all our veterans...just a day late here.

Second Door on the Right

Visiting a new office (new to me) yesterday, I was directed to the second door on the right for my acquaintance. I dutifully walked in and no one was there. Soon a stranger entered and I explained who I was looking for. "Oh. She's next door." I thanked her and went out, looking back to where I counted from - Yep, this was the second door. In the next room I found my friend and told her I guess I couldn't count. She said, "Well, this is the second office." Duh. I didn't look in the first door to see what it was. Maybe it was the broom closet but when someone tells me the second door, I think I can count to two. Life is strange. I'd like to tell the receptionist that there are three doors on that side of the hall - but I refrained.

Surprise

I don't have a photo because no camera was near and it was more important to dispatch the critter in the kitchen. Wednesday was a day to chop, slice, and dice after browning the stew meat. I love home made beef stew so that's what I was constructing. Lee came into the kitchen, pointed toward the floor and said, "Look!" I looked and saw nothing on the floor. It seem he was pointing at a large brown (I hope not recluse!) spider hanging in mid-air right behind me. "Get the fly swatter," Since I was nearest the pantry and the fly swatter, I did as I was told. The trip there did not cross the strand of web that was holding the spider who had reached the floor by the time I handed over the swatter. The intruder was quickly taken care of. I was just glad he didn't lower himself over the stew pot.

Stitches

I've been crocheting up a storm. Some afghans and hats and pot holders. This hat was made from the large instructions. I believe it might be too large. I have found a future owner who says she has two friends with big heads. I hope she can decide which one to present it to!

Skunk Alert

I have no photos but we were warned about 2 a.m. by our dogs that something was "up" outside. After Lee checked the front yard to see if someone was walking a dog at that strange hour, he reported there was a skunk by the fire hydrant on our parking. I had never heard the lovable little mutts carry on as they did last night. . . Crazy barking! I'm not thrilled by seeing a skunk in the area. I guess they have to be somewhere. And that is another reason to make an appointment for yearly rabies shots. The notice came in the mail on Saturday. I'm hoping now the fence keeps him/her out of the back yard.

Confusion

We have a dry cleaning company who previously had two locations. Listed in the phone book were two phone numbers - one for the northern location near our house and one for the store "downtown". I called the number for the closest one and asked a stupid question: Are you open at this location?" Answer was yes. So we grabbed the my coat, worked on getting the dogs in the car and took off. At the drive-through window the sign says they have been closed since July. Why didn't I just ask if they were still open on 30th Street? After the short trip to the other facility, I handed my coat through the window and said, "Just a coat today." She asked if it were a coat for kids....Gosh no! Not donating, I need it cleaned. Good laugh. After getting all my information, she asked if our dogs would like a treat. Well, with that, Jill goes nuts. Jack is calm. The nice lady reaches for treats. Not there. Goes to get some. They are out. No treats today! Why does it seem like all these odd things are happening more frequently? Possibly because I don't ask questions correctly or express myself clearly. Non compos mentis?

Seeds

Kansas used to be plagued by winds most of the summer months. This year we have had very little wind or rain. If these dandelions were out there today, they would be blown away. We have had three days of wind and the weatherman is telling us rain will follow. We'll see.

Prairie House

Two photos of a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. I have read that he liked to hide the front entrance. This particular home is in Wichita, KS. The bedrooms are very small. I doubt that anything else would fit in the room if there were a king size bed in that bedroom!

Carmel Corn Salesman

The doorbell rang (it seldom does)and a small Cub Scout was there selling popcorn and other goodies. I bought caramel corn and he had that item with him! I may have to restrain myself this evening from eating the whole bag.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

This is how Jack sleeps, summer and winter.

Maybe it's a security "thing."

Kitchen Towel

My sister-in-law sent us this towel at Christmas time in 1969! There were other  years she sent

similar towels but this is the only one I have in my kitchen drawer for use. Maybe the others

wore out. More than likely they were grabbed and used on a motorcycle or car to wipe up a spot.

I am amazed at how bright the embroidery is although the towel is very faded.

Strange how things we use in our lives manage to stay around for years, yet others are used up

or gone too soon.

 

 

Happy Nineteenth

This cute fisherwoman is nineteen today. I can hardly believe it. Time goes so fast - we have watched her grow up. She's as sweet as she was as a two year old and it is amazing that she is in COLLEGE!

We love you Miss M!! And Happy Birthday.

Large Spider

This morning my sister-in-law in New Jersey sent a photo of a large black and yellow spider outside her window. We have its twin in our morning glory vine. So of course I had to wade out into the dew and take a photo of our resident. I have never seen a web with the cluster of white and a zig zag area near the center. To try to get him to move to more exposed position, I shook the vine and he did climb up a bit but long after the movement should have stopped, the web continued to move. I watched for at least a minute and there was no sign of it stopping. There was no wind that kept it moving and perhaps he was moving his body in some way that I could not see. Quite fascinating. And I'm still surprised the morning glories are still looking so summer-like. It will be 80 again today so that doesn't exactlt say fall and the end of the growing season. (You can click to enlarge the photo.)

Sleeping Toddler

I saw a photo on the internet of a child sleeping on a stuffed toy. It reminded me of this picture I took of our younger son. It's one of my favorite pictures.

Big Bird

Yesterday L. and I were sitting out in the back yard in the sun, enjoying the cool air. I love fall. On my lap was Jack, our black rescue dog that we've had for four years. Suddenly Jack looked up over the back of my head and his eyes followed something in the air. I looked up and saw the widest wingspread I had ever seen on a flying bird. I don't know if it was a hawk, a bald eagle or a Mississippi Kite. L. votes for the kite. He should know. A few years ago we were walking our Great Dane down the street and a kite dive-bombed him and left three large scratches on the top of his crew cut. It was nesting season and I guess we were near the nest.

Unknown Tree

This tree was growing next to our fence. L. cut it off several times at the ground but it kept coming back so a few years ago he let it grow. We have no idea what kind of tree it is.

At this very drive through we stopped yesterday to order some lunch. This photo was taken months ago but yesterday while we were ordering, an older, brown car whipped around us and stopped behind the car waiting ahead of us for their order. I had never been "cut in" at a line to a drive-in! When the intruder reached the window, there was a long delay. My better half suggested just leaving. I would not do that to the work crew who seemed to be having issues with the woman in a hurry. After two discussions with two different workers, she received her food and left. As I parked by the window, the pleasant lady said, "I want to confirm your order," and read it to me. Yes, I said. Then I explained what had happened. They, of course, didn't realize what had happened and added her "window" order to our order, thinking she was just getting an additional item. They had added the two amounts and it seems she did not want to pay for ours! This took some time to sort out and the crew was amazed. I don't believe this had happened to them before. We had a laugh (and a subject for this blog.) Some folks have a lot of guts, nerve, boldness - whatever you want to call. Later a friend told me she saw this happen at a McDonald's. In her case, the car was from a neighboring county but our lady was local. Speaking of the Golden Arches, one of ours has a double drive through with two ordering windows and the cars merge after ordering. We have never seen anyone try to sneak across the line!

Another Mother for Peace

 

Purchased in 1968 after a group of women in Beverly Hills, CA, started an organization

to promote peace.

Still appropriate.

Summer's Amost Over

 

This shot reminds me of the phrase, "Let my people go."

Just because the sunflowers grew so tall, someone was afraid they were going to bend over. I think

that is what nature intended. These are not grown in a field for harvesting.

They are not the hardy plants that produce those wonderful seeds.

They were just fun to plant and see them grow.

 

Smoothies

Who knew that Starbuck's has Smoothies? I saw it on the internet. So we decided, after a trip to the bank, to try a couple. I told the clerk I understood they have smoothies. He said yes. I told him we wanted two. He asked if I would like a chocolate croissant. No thanks. He gave me the total for one Smoothie...$4.64. I said I wanted two. He said something else about the order and I said, "Two." Again he said, "$4.64." I told Lee, I think we are getting one. We'll just split it." Went to the window and a female barista took my card. She was replaced by the young man who had taken the order. He was visiting about our day. I told him we are very happy but we did order two smoothies but don't worry, we'll split it. He was apologetic and asked if we wanted to wait for another one. "No thanks." And then Lee handed me the tip for the jar. The guy said he didn't want to accept it. In fact, he reached out and pushed the lock button on the van door signifying that he didn't want us to tip. I told him that we always tip and that we love Starbucks. I think this was a lesson to baristas everywhere. Listen to the customers before you try soliciting add-on items to the order and for me, make sure you get a confirmation before you drive to the service window. These little occasions make life so interesting.

Communications

I was thinking yesterday that I don't hear from many of my friends. We've always had the phone but now emails are so past tense that we don't use them much anymore. There is texting which I do with our sons and granddaughters but not with friends. When I mentioned all this to L., he said, "Do you ever call them?" That shut me up.

Stamps

I found these stamps in a drawer when I was looking for something else. Why did I save these? Because of the Tiffany lamp or the chair? Maybe because someone was able to mail a letter for only four cents. That must have been a bulk rate. When I was a kid I had a stamp album. Wonder whatever happened to that? It was fun thing to look for unusual stamps and especially from another country.

Morning Milk Shake

Out and about earlier this morning to buy spider spray. There are too many webs where we want to be. On the way back home, we stopped at the Golden Arches and ordered L. a large chocolate milk shake. $3.49. Please pull forward. Fourth in line we arrived at the window and paid. Pull forward to serving window. Clerk says, "You wanted the mocha with no cream?" No, a large chocolate milk shake. "Oh. We can't do that now. Could I get you something else?" "I'll take the mocha." "No, that's for someone else." "No, just my money back, I guess." "Please pull forward." In my rear view mirror I saw them hand out another mocha with no cream on top to the lady in the following car. They could have given that to me instead of dumping it! When the apologetic young man gave us our money, he explained the machine wasn't working - the reason they couldn't "do that now" was not the hour of the day (10:00 a.m.) I told him they might tell the order taker that! She obviously didn't know about the malfunction. Another day in the life of little inefficiencies because of our dependence on machines....even milk shake makers.

Blurry Memories

I was never into decorating a room or knowing how to stage a place to prepare a home for a sale. Our younger son used his skill to fix his room the way he wanted it. The painting came first - a shiny finish in bright colors. The flags, the bureau and the desk with a blue shag rug and a yellow bean bag chair. His mom helped by making a bed cover to match in the granny square pattern. Later it took three coats of ecru to cover up the red, yellow and blue. We loved it but changed it after he was off to college. The activity here is limited to in the house. More heat than we'd like outside with high 90's is continuing to the end of the week. The state fair starts next week so there may be some rain by then! But while staying inside, I've been crocheting the last of four afghans for the grand girls.

Boiling the Bacon

I am a sucker for trying stuff I see on tv or on the internet. The latest was a new way (to me) to cook bacon. Since I have had problems in the past with burning bacon while trying to get it cooked through, this looked perfect. Place bacon in skillet and add water to cover. Use high heat until the water boils. Lower heat to medium. Fine so far. At this point the water did not seem to cook away as it did on the video. I spent several minutes spooning out fat that separated from the meat. Yuck. Finally I just poured out the water and let the four slices brown on medium heat. In the example the water evaporated and then the browning began. Oh well. It did turn out ok. There was not as much shrinking as in frying. Our bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches were good. Next time think I'll try baking it. I've heard that is another alternative. And there's always the microwave.

First Sign of Fall

It was so cool this morning that I had coffee and read the paper on the porch. Someone decided chili sounded good. By the time it is ready in the crockpot, the temperature may be back in the 90's.

Catching Up

Nothing important has been happening around here except I had run out of Perfect Pink (Rose Parfait, as the French say.) There is only one store in town that carries cheap Red Heart yarn. Three days ago I went to buy more. None on the shelf except Baby Pink and Bright Pink. Asked a clerk, who luckily happened to be doing inventory in the same aisle on the beads. She pointed her reading tool at the label and said they would be getting three in - probably tomorrow. (Only three?) I decided to give them an extra day. Same story only there were no clerks insight. We came home and I decided to call on that wonderful invention, the telephone. The number listed in the book gave me a disconnect message. I tried the other phone book provided by Mid-Kansas. Great! A different number but it was answered, "Bakery." I asked for the store's main number and she gave it to me. When the main number answered, I asked for the yarn department. A short wait time and the operator (?) answerer (?) asked who I was calling. I repeated the yarn department. She told me she thought she had mixed up the calls. Another wait. She would try again. After a total of ten minutes on the phone, a man's voice answered, "Electronics." I told him I was waiting for the yarn department and he offered to transfer my call. After a fairly long wait, I heard, "Electronics." He tried again and I reached a person who could check on yarn for me!! After a walk to the department, she said there was some in the back room. How many did I want? Four! She would leave them at the fabric cutting table with my name on them. I was so thrilled. Another trip back to the store. The woman at the cutting table had no clue what I was talking about. She said she thought they would have left her a note. But she looked and there they were...four skeins of Perfect Pink. There were long lines at the check out so I picked the fifteen items or less row. A gentleman ahead of me had just a few groceries. I said, "Speedy check-out," because there was a problem at the head of the line. He offered to let me go ahead and I said, "No, that's ok." After the problem ahead of him was settled, his groceries were checked out and he handed the clerk what looked like a blank check. She ran it through a machine which promptly chewed it up after rejecting it twice. They tried another check. Same result. Clerk took the machine apart, removed a ribbon and a piece broke off. Another clerk brought a ribbon and the procedure was completed. The man signed the electronic pad (is this a debit transaction?) The clerk returned the "check." The gentleman turned to me and said, "I'll bet you wish you had gone ahead of me." I laughed and said, "Yes and next time the offer is made, I'll say, 'Thank you.'"

The Battle of the Thermostat

This morning when I checked the rain gauge after a small thunderstorm last night, I saw one inch received! The temperature was about 65 wonderful degrees. I went out on the porch and enjoyed it. As I came back in, I noticed how toasty warm the air seemed. I said to L., that it almost feels like the furnace is on. His reply: "It is." When we went to bed the A/C was whirring and the fan was blowing cool air. Amazing. I usually don't touch the controls but I was sure tempted.

Flower

These flowers remind me of holly hocks but they are Rose of Sharon.

When I had a Telescopic Lens

About the middle of the 1970's. He still sings but he looks different. I hate plastic surgery. Some might say I need it but I prefer the normal aging process. I guess if you are a "star" you think it's necessary. Keep singing but quit the face rearranging, Mr. Manilow.

Three Down - One to Go

 

60" x 43"

Just a made up pattern of "grandma" colors.

Another Month of Summer"

This looks like the end of summer - right now. Dying cone flowers. I'm looking forward to some nice fall days before the cold arrives.

August 14, 1952

Bless the friends, Barb, Carlene and Darline. One with a camera was able to take this unforgettable wedding photo as we left the manse. My folks were witnesses. L.'s parents were invited but didn't come. My mother-in-law later told me that she didn't think it would last (we'd known each other three and a half months) and she didn't want to be a party to the crime. She lived to see it last fifty-two years and now it's the big six three! We're still together and had a great anniversary breakfast of bacon and French toast, juice and coffee. Later today we may throw caution to the winds and have a steak. It was the right thing to do. (The marriage, not the French toast.)

IV Day

Today was the day I get this view. The good news is, my "counts" were so good that they increased the time between treatments from six weeks to eight weeks. Hurray!

Peanut Butter Multi-Grain Toasted Cereal

The title on the box surprised me because the large photo looked like Cheerios ( In my long ago childhood, they were Cheerioats) Then I noticed it was the grocery brand. I bought them anyway. They are my new favorite snack. Less fat than buttered popcorn, no added salt needed although I imagine there is plenty in them anyway. I remember seeing ads with babies eating them and picking them up using remarkable dexterity. So now this is my snack of choice. (Trying to cut down on the cake and doughnuts which Somebody keeps buying and toting home from the grocers.)