This Week Is...

It's a busy (holiday-ish) week...

• Monday the 26th: Full Hunter's Moon
• Monday the 26th: National Pumpkin Day
• Wednesday the 28th: National First Responders Day
• Thursday the 29th: National Cat Day
• Saturday the 31st: Halloween
• Sunday the 1st: Daylight Savings Time Ends 
• Sunday the 1st and Monday the 2nd: Dia de los Muertos

The Ageing Thing

I found this list on Facebook and decided these will be on my "to do" list for this weekend!

 

Prices Are Seriously Out of Control!

I don't go shopping (except for food) very often so imagine my shock when I saw these prices when I went to Target yesterday...

$22.49 for NyQuil??? Let's hope we don't get sick this winter!

And $14.99 for some Benadryl tablets??? 

Body wash for $9.99?? (not even a big bottle!)

And some sort of lip gloss for $10?!?

Since when are batteries this expensive? (I bought some rechargeable ones that we use now)

Then there are these tiny, single serving bags of Doritos for $2.79...that's highway robbery!

 

Weather and Other Stuff

This month has just flown by! Work is still fine (but I definitely need to start thinking about retirement), gas prices (along with everything else!) are insane, and the weather was pretty stormy for a few days which was a nice change!

Quick Update

It's been a busy couple weeks as we move into fall...

• We are enjoying the lower temperatures (yes we can actually feel the difference between 110 degrees and 95 degrees!).
• Work is still in some ways a PITA. There are several old guys on our team that are one annoyance away from retiring with a few day's notice...I am probably right behind them!
• Prices on everything continue to rise. Our food stockpile is bursting at the seams so we don't want to buy much more (we don't want to waste it because it expires before we can eat it).
• We look forward to getting outside and doing more activities in the fall since we have been practically home-bound all summer.
• It may storm tomorrow (I love storms in the desert!).
• Monday is Labor Day. There are lots of sales but at this point, we literally don't need a single thing.
• The feral cats are still cute as ever...

!0 Things from This Week

In no particular order...

1. I cant believe it is almost September! This year has flown by!
2. RIP Dolly Parton. I knew she had been sick but like other larger-than-life cultural icons, you never think they will actually die.  :(
3. Our sunrises are as pretty as our sunsets! 
   
   
   
   
   
4. Exactly half of our lemon tree is suddenly dead, no idea why  :(  
   
   
   
5. We replaced all of the carpet upstairs with vinyl plank flooring last week (we did the downstairs a couple years ago). It should be cooler and easier to clean--not to mention it won't collect dust and dirt like carpet--but it takes a bit of getting used to on our feet. Also, hubby and I determined we are way too old and frail to be moving furniture these days.
6. According to my work email (and meetings...and fire app), most of the west is on fire! eeekkk 
   
   
   
7. Speaking of disasters, September is National Preparedness Month. Here is a great daily calendar of preparedness tasks everyone should complete for the month.
8. I can't believe that everywhere we go there is wall-to-wall Halloween advertising--the holiday is still a full two months away!
9. Here is an interesting 'Almost Tariff-Proof' Grocery Guide.
10. I'm thinking about retiring. I love my job so I am not in a hurry to retire but it suddenly dawned on me that I am nearing retirement age (how did that happen??? It seems like I was just 40 a year or so ago!). So I guess making a graceful exit from the world of work is something I should start planning for.

50 Items for Your Evacuation Bag

It's been a scary (and busy) couple of weeks in Eastern Washington state. With wildfires, mandatory evacuations, and permanent displacement for hundreds of people, this is a good reminder that everyone should be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice. Here are 50 items that should be in your evacuation bag/vehicle:

1. Case of water
2. Cash/credit cards
3. ALL of your prescription medications (if your house burns down, it can be difficult to get replacement refills)
4. Laptop/charging cord
5. Cell phone/charging cord
6. Important documents (passports, birth certificates, marriage/divorce/military/immigration docs, etc)
7. All of your files backed up on a thumb drive
8. Copies of financial/insurance/other important records
9. A paper map of your city/state
10. A video tour of your entire home for insurance purposes
11. Any irreplaceable heirlooms
12. Jewelry
13. Firearms/ammo/holster/pepper spray
14. Pets/carrier/leash/food/meds/water bowl, etc
15. Shoes/couple of changes of clothes for each family member
16. Toiletry kit for each family member/makeup/sunglasses
17. A bag of snacks and easy to prepare food/MREs/etc
18. Can opener/utensils, plate and bowl for each person
19. Insulated cooler
20. Wet Wipes/hand sanitizer
21. Kleenex/paper towels
22. Ziploc bags
23. Notebook and pen/envelope for receipts
24. Camping gear (sleeping bags, tent, cooking gear, mess kits, water purifier, etc)
25. Necessary health aids: dentures/hearing aids and charger/cane/wheel chair/glasses/contacts/etc
26. Stuff for infant/baby/toddler if applicable (diapers, wipes, bottles, food, formula, favorite toys, etc)
27. Stuff for elderly or infirm family members (diapers, CPAP, feminine hygiene products, etc)
28. Throw blankets
29. Weather appropriate clothing (coat, hat, gloves in the winter)
30. Tablets for each family member with pre-loaded books, movies, games, etc
31. Headphones or earbuds for each family member
32. Battery banks to recharge phones
33. Portable battery bank and solar panel kit
34. Battery box jumper for car battery
35. Portable air compressor for tires
36. Other entertainment options: coloring books/crayons, puzzle books, playing cards, etc
37. Small AM/FM radio/extra batteries
38. First aid kit/sunscreen/bug spray/umbrella
39. Vehicle emergency kit
40. Flashlights/extra batteries
41. Portable toilet kit/wag bags
42. PPEs (nitrile gloves, N95 masks, goggles, leather work gloves, etc)
43. Basic tool kit (hammer, pliers, wrench, screwdrivers, etc)
44. Spare tire/jack
45. Fire extinguisher
46. Signal material (flares, whistle, etc)
47. Specialized radios: NOAA weather, HAM radio
48. Compass
49. Knife and/or multi tool
50. Other: paracord, duct tape, tarp, zipties, sewing kit, matches