Don't Blink

The weather is changing so quickly these days that you don't want to blink or you'll feel it's the day before.  The snow we had day before yesterday is almost gone.  Here's the picnic table Monday...

...it was hard to believe I had been sitting here Sunday, reading, eating lunch and talking on the phone and getting too hot...

Now, here it is this morning, once again totally free of snow....

There's just a little snow left in the meadow...

 The corded wood...

...and the woodpile...

are free of snow and, in fact, I brought wood in from this pile yesterday and it burned readily.

I see no more snow in the NOAA forecast.  Our highs are heading into the low 50F degrees with lows in the 30s.

I took Dixie and drove to Boulder to do some errands yesterday.  Got the settlement check from Sears into the bank and dropped off a letter from the company that handles my Medicare drug coverage at my doctor's office.  It appears they might be willing to consider covering my non-Big-Pharma thyroid medication.  At least they are giving me a chance to have her write them a letter indicating not only do I feel better when using Armour bovine thyroid which, I believe, is cheaper than Synthroid, but I also don't have to take a second drug to effect the proper conversion of T4 to T3.  I noticed yesterday in the news that the internal medicine practitioners themselves are finally taking some steps to eliminate unnecessary tests and drugs.  Do you suppose someone somewhere is finally starting to look at these issues sensibly?

I didn't blog yesterday evening because I had waited until 9 p.m. for either Dixie's owner or her owner's boyfriend to come pick her up.  When I phoned her owner, the boyfriend answered and indicated Dixie's owner was not there.  I inquired whether I should drive Dixie home and he indicated in the affirmative.  When I got there...it's just up the street...he was outside and started raking me over the coals for allowing Dixie to come into my house.  I knew he'd been harboring resentment since last fall about picking her up he was always so petulant when he came.  So we got into a bit of a shouting match, with my indicating that if they'd keep their dogs inside not only would Dixie coming to my cabin not be an issue, but she'd still have four legs.  I think the thing that really got under my skin was that I realized after I got back home that Dixie's owner is actually out of the country on vacation...she had told me about her planned trip...and her boyfriend only found the fortitude to confront me about his resentment because she was gone. 

Anyway, no dogs today.  So I don't have to worry about going off and leaving Dixie sitting forlornly in the yard when I leave to go to Boulder to do laundry and, hopefully, I'll be able to start walking regularly again which I don't feel I can do with her trying to cripple along.  I woke up this morning realizing that I can always call the Sheriff and have both Dixie and Jimmy taken to the pound when they "trespass" and cause a barking nuisance on my deck if I continue being put in the wrong because these people are allowing their dogs to run free.  If we go back to our routine when Dixie's owner returns and I continue to get the attitude from the boyfriend I may be forced to point out this option.

Does your compassion for animals have unpleasant side effects?  Teddee

Junqueing Again

Goodwill had a 50% off Saturday yesterday so I used the fact that I needed to get a prescription refilled at Walgreens in Boulder and another one at a Wal-Mart in Erie to stop in my two regular Goodwill stores.  My required Medicare prescription plan (you get dunned each year you opt not to take this once you are old enough to get Medicare) requires that I get my prescriptions at Wal-Mart.  I know.  Even my ophthalmologist thought this didn't smell quite right.  So I'm forced to drive all the way to Erie to get my glaucoma drops at Wal-Mart, but still get my thyroid medication, which isn't covered at all by Medicare because it is natural, bovine, not created by big pharma, at Walgreens where I've had my prescriptions filled since I was in my 20s.   Take it from me, Medicare is really screwed up. 

Anyway, on to happier topics.  I stopped at Goodwill in Boulder first.  You know it's going to be a good day when there's a parking space waiting right in front of the store.

Here are some things I did not get:

This lovely Bavarian porcelain plate, which was so badly damaged that even for the $2 I would have paid on sale, I didn't buy.  I have considered buying such damaged porcelain and perhaps making a mosaic on a tray or something, but I'm not sure I could bring myself to take a hammer and shatter these lovely things into smithereens, damaged as they are.

This hobnail cake stand also didn't make it into my cart just because I have so little storage space.  It would have been $3.50 on sale.  I think this may be Westmoreland English Hobnail, but am not certain.  If so, it was produced from the 1920s through 1983.  Probably worth at least $30.  It was in perfect condition.

This particular Goodwill must have received a donation from an upholstery shop.  The pillow section, which had been pretty slim pickin's for many months, was like an Oriental bazaar.  If I had had my dream brick and mortar shop, I would have had a whole lot of fun here:

This was the tip of the iceberg.  Love all the wonderful trim, or passamenterie, but, sadly, no, even at $2 each, none made it into my cart.

Here is something I did buy. 

I really have a thing for iron, a predilection I only question when I have to pack up and move.  I couldn't really tell what this was, but loved it at first sight and, at $1.50 on sale, I knew it was coming home with me.  It won't stand, so I think it is a hook.

I also drove out to the Goodwill in Lafayette.  I'll show you what I bought there tomorrow.  Did you have a "thrifty" weekend?  Teddee