Month: August 2026

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A “Tasty Tuesdays Twofer” (Part 1).. Vanity Post #72

I’m sure you’re probably wondering why the topic of today’s vanity post is “homemade spreadable butter”, so I shall enlighten you. The primary reason is so that I won’t forget the ratios of the two (only two) main ingredients! I figure that if I write ’em down enough times I might FINALLY remember!

I’ve already written them in at least one — if not, two — “Holler Happenings” notebooks, but that apparently wasn’t enough because when I went to make another batch of “homemade spreadable butter” yesterday, I wasn’t sure about the measurement for the first ingredient. So… I figured that I’d post the recipe here on my Web site as yet another time to write ’em down. Hopefully, I won’t forget the next time I want to make a batch, but IF I do, then I’ll know where to look!

Anyway… Here’s the recipe for “Homemade Spreadable Butter” that I found on the littlehouseliving.com Web site:

“Homemade Spreadable Butter

Make your own spreadable butter with 2 simple ingredients!

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or a more mild oil if you want to tone down the flavor)
  • 1/2 cup butter (salted or unsalted, your preference)

Instructions

  1. Place your butter on the counter to soften for several hours until very soft but not melted. This will help keep it creamy. You might have some lumps if you don’t, which ar totally fine, but not the smooth texture you might be expecting.
  2. Put the butter and the oil in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth and combined. That’s all there is to it!
  3. Store the butter in the fridge.

Storing DIY Spreadable Butter

Store the butter in a container (I use an old butter container!) in the fridge. It should stay soft and spreadable without having to take it out to soften.”

So, there you have it: a recipe for “Homemade Spreadable Butter”, AND I now know where to look in case I can’t remember that the recipe takes !/4 cup of olive oil — to go with one stick (1/2 cup) of butter! If you give this recipe a try, please leave me a comment below with your thoughts about it.

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What to watch now… Vanity Post #71

Today, I’m happy to report that I finished watching the very last episode of “Falling Skies”, a science fiction series that’s currently streaming on Netflix. Although the series originally aired from 2011 to 2015, I didn’t watch it back then, primarily because I’d decided NOT to watch any television. The main reason I watched it now is to have something to do while I’m on my treadmill. Watching keeps my mind occupied while my body is busy exercising. Anyway… I thought it was a good series — one that often kept me on the edges of the treadmill while I reacted to what was happening on the small screen of my “watcher”, especially during the rather gory parts. (If hostile aliens are involved, there’s sure to be gore!) So, yeah… I’d definitely recommend “Falling Skies” if you like anything with aliens.

By the way, I was going to title this vanity post something else, but I decided not to do so because I didn’t want to spoil the series in case you decided to watch it. As the current title of this post suggests, I now have a bit of a dilemma: What do I want to watch now? I’ve discovered that Netflix has A LOT to offer for one’s viewing pleasure. All I know is that I’d better hurry up and decide ‘cuz the treadmill will be calling my name later today! If you have any recommendations for something I should watch, please let me know in the comments, and I’ll then check to see if it’s currently available on Netflix. Looking forward to your suggestions about what to watch now AND your thoughts about this series if you’ve watched it — either while it was airing OR while it’s streaming on Netflix.

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August 2026’s “7th of the Month” Post (Part 3)… Vanity Post #70

In my two previous vanity posts (#68 and #69), I presented the first two parts of August 2026’s “7th of the month” post. So… Today’s vanity post (#70) will finish this month’s “7th of the month” post by discussing the last category: Writing!

Sadly, my writing has seem to have fallen by the wayside much of this calendar year. I’ve often felt like the old lady in the commercials who says “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up.” Well… It feels as though I’ve fallen — off the “writing wagon” — and I can’t climb back up onto it! So… Back at the beginning of July, I decided that the best way for me to climb back up onto the “writing wagon” was to “take a page” from one of Chuck Lorre’s sitcom scripts by writing something similar to the “vanity cards” that he puts at the end of his sitcoms. I call mine “vanity posts”, and my goal with this is to publish one each day — every day. (We’ll see how that goes…) So, yeah… These vanity posts have pretty much been the extent of my writing this month — though I have tried to keep up with my other forms of writing:

  • “Pages” entries (which are a part of my “morning” routine);
  • “free writing” entries; and
  • “meeting my quota” entries (which are in the process of changing to take into account that the main reason for their existence (initially, anyway) was November’s main NaNoWriMo event).

This month, I also checked out the “National Days” Web site — looking for special days to celebrate, especially those related to food, so I can discover more recipes to feature in my “Tasty Tuesdays” posts, which will, more than likely, be featured in a vanity post — to keep my string of vanity posts (AND my writing) going strong!

The last thing worth noting in Part 3 of August 2026’s “7th of the month” post is that I, once again, participated in a writers postcard swap since I LOVE receiving postcards! Because I knew I was going to be participating in this swap AND that the price of stamps was going up (yet again!), I went to the local post office in town (after one of my “quilt-along” sessions) to purchase more “postcard stamps”. Well… The lady behind the counter thought I said “stamped postcards” and brought me a big pile of them! When I looked at them, I didn’t see any stamps, so I asked, “Are there stamps in here?” (referring to the big pile of what appeared to be index cards). “Oh! You wanted postcard stamps?” she asked as she was finishing up my purchase on the cash register. “Uh, yeah,” I replied. To make a long story short, I figured that it would be too much trouble for her to “cancel my order” (since I’d already been waiting quite a while) AND that I could probably use the stamped postcards one way or another. So… I purchased both “stamped postcards” and “postcard stamps” that day!

I ended up using the “stamped postcards” for the swap by photocopying a page from an adult coloring book that I had on hand, figuring that I’d send all of my postcard swap recipients a postcard that could relieve stress when the recipient took some time to color it. I haven’t heard back from anybody to tell me what they thought of this idea. Of course, I didn’t specifically ask for such feedback, so I’m hoping that everybody liked the idea. I had fun making ’em (despite a few “technical difficulties” — like the printer jamming), so I think I’m going to make some more coloring postcards to send to friends and family. In fact, I made a couple extra and included them in my son’s birthday box — as a not-so-subtle hint that he should write his mom more often! They were even self-addressed (AND I included a pen!), so he doesn’t really have an excuse for taking a few moments to color the card and send it back to me! Only time will tell if I receive ’em back or not…

Oh! Speaking of postcards… When I was going through the trailer, I found TWO suitcases FULL of POSTCARDS that Mom had collected throughout her life. Perhaps I’m following in Mom’s footsteps by collecting postcards!

So, yeah… I’m climbing back up onto the “writing wagon” by writing these daily “vanity posts”, which are now how I’m sharing the various kinds of posts that I have been publishing on this author Web site of mine — posts like my “7th of the month” posts and “Tasty Tuesdays” posts as well as other that I hope to be publishing soon. So, stay tuned for more “vanity posts” about a wide range of subjects! In the meantime… I hope YOU will take a moment or two out of your busy schedule to leave me a comment about what you think of these “vanity posts” or whatever else is on your mind, especially anything related to writing.

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August 2026’s “7th of the Month” Post (Part 2)… Vanity Post #69

In yesterday’s vanity post (#68), I discussed “Holler Happenings“, which is the first part of August 2026’s “7th of the Month” post. In today’s vanity post (#69), I’ll be focused on events that fall within the category of “Personal”. So, buckle up ‘cuz it could be a wild ride!

Personal Events

Hello, again, from “my holler in Kentucky”! This month got off to a rocky start — literally! — when I went for a “wild ride” and ended up in a ditch with the “little, white roadster” nestled against a rock wall on my way straight home from a (frustrating) “quilt-along” session. Proof that I should NOT have changed my normal routine (of checking my P.O. Box after the “quilt-along” session) came when I FINALLY got home — HOURS later — when I received a phone call from my darlin’ daughter, who told me that her sister-in-law had finally sent me the fabric for the quilt she wants me to make for her son. I’m sure you can see the irony of the situation: Had I not changed my routine that day, I (1) would NOT have ended up in the ditch, and (2) I would have picked up the package before I got my daughter’s phone call. Anyway… The good news is that I was able to walk away from the vehicle AND there was only minor damage to the “little, white roadster”, which was due more to pulling it out of the ditch than the actual “slide” into the ditch. The bad news is that I’m now known as “Miss Wrecky” in the neighborhood.

As far as my quilting is concerned, I spent LOTs of time this month working on “Stars”, my current “quilt-along” project. I’ve been doing LOTS of “slicing and dicing” (as Sweet Thing calls the time I spend cutting out the needed pieces) AND sewing these pieces together again — in three different patterns: “light star” blocks, “modified log cabin” blocks, and “dark star” blocks. I’m happy to report that I’ve got all of the blocks made for four of the twelve rows needed for the quilt top. Hmmm… This means that I’m now one third of the way finished!

In addition to working on “Stars”, I’ve also been giving some thought to/ working on the quilt that my daughter’s sister-in-law wants me to make for her son. I now have a good idea about how I’m going to handle the quilt’s backing (use a technique that I learned during last month’s three-day quilting retreat), but I’m still trying to decide which pattern would be the most appropriate for the quilt’s intended recipient. Until I get that pattern finalized, I’ll be working on the quilt’s backing, which is actually a rather backwards way of making a quilt. But, hey! Once it’s completely finished, nobody will be able to tell that the back was made first. Anyway…

This month, that “favorite (and only) son of mine” celebrated a milestone birthday: He turned 35 years young! To honor this special occasion, I assembled — and mailed — him a “birthday box”, which contained everything he needed to throw himself a party along with a few other “goodies”. I’m happy to report that it reached its destination BEFORE my son’s birthday, which is actually another “milestone” itself. (I’m NOT like my mom with regards to birthday greetings; she was always able to get birthday cards mailed in time to reach their recipient ON or before their special day.) I’m trying to be more like her in this regard, and the EARLY arrival of my son’s birthday box proves that I can, indeed, do it. Just have to be vigilant when it comes to the calendar AND accurately calculate the amount of time the U.S.P.S. will take to deliver packages to their intended destinations, something Mom was REALLY good at doing!

Anyway… Here are a few more things that fall into the “Personal Events” category:

  • the phone calls with my darlin’ daughter continued throughout the month. As you know, the first call from her was to let me know about the package her sister-in-law had sent me. Her next call was to tell me that she’d received my check and would try her best to get me everything on my “wish list” (of souvenirs from Sequoia National Park) AND to share with me her excitement about getting a good deal on a “tailgate basket”, something they’ll be using during their annual camping trip to Sequoia National Park. After that, she then called to give me a recap of their camping trip — she did her best to get me the souvenirs I wanted — “sending three employees on a scavenger hunt” to locate the items. Sadly, they weren’t able to find everything on my “wish list”, but my daughter did do her best. (I guess I’ll just have to order what I wanted from their Web site — where I found the items on the list in the first place! Don’t know why the stores in the Park don’t have what’s one their Web site!) Oh, well… My daughter’s last call — calls, actually, since there was a flurry of them — was to let me know (1) that she had mailed me a package, and (2) that said package had arrived. During this last phone call, I did an “unboxing” (opened my “EARLY birthday box”) at her insistence. I could tell she was happy that she was able to get it into the mail sooner than later because she, like me, has trouble getting things to me in a timely manner. We’re both getting better at this, it seems.
  • I enjoyed a special joint phone call with “Al and the aunts PLUS two cousins” on Tuesday, 21 July 2026. Getting all six of us on the phone at the same time (thanks to my sister) was such a special surprise, especially since I was only expecting to talk to “Al and the aunts”. We were able to get caught up with what’s been happening in everyone’s life, which was great since I hadn’t talked to my two cousins in years. At the end of the too-short phone call, there was talk of having a family reunion, so we could see everybody in person. I’m really hoping that this idea becomes a reality!
  • I continued reading AND watching Netflix I’ve read books on my Kindle (the “new-fangled” way of reading) and physical books (the “old-fashioned” way of reading, which I’m starting to prefer since they don’t need to be charged like my Kindle does!). On the Kindle, I’ve been reading books in the “Heritage of Power” series (can’t remember the author at the present time). As far as old-fashioned books are concerned, I’ve read a couple of the books in Lee Child’s “Jack Reacher” series, and I’m currently reading a couple of Amish romance stories that have a Christmas theme. I’ve enjoyed reading ALL of the afore-mentioned books. As far as Netflix is concerned, I’ve watched a couple of their “Leaving Soon” movies (without the popcorn and candy this month) as well as the following series: (1) Sullivan’s Crossing; (2) the new “Little House on the Prairie”; (3) “Falling Skies”; (4) “Another Life”; and “Mom”, one of Chuck Lorre’s sitcoms, which originally aired a decade ago (“Better late than never”).
  • I did a big “Back to School” stock-up on such things as spiral-bound notebooks and pens. I shudder to think what I’d do without these yearly stock-up trips for school supplies since these things are such a big part of my life. I miss the days when school didn’t start until right around my birthday. Maybe this is why I’ve starting to think in terms of “academic years” instead of “calendar years”. Anyway…
  • The last thing I have to mention in this category is enjoying what could be the last fireflies of the year. When I was working in the trailer, I’d always know it was time to head back inside when I started to see the blinking of fireflies through the trailer’s window or through its screen door. As soon as I’d see one of ’em blinking, I’d find a good stopping point and then spend a few minutes just watching ’em blink. I know I won’t have much more time to enjoy their presence because there aren’t as many of ’em blinking as there were earlier this summer. Ever since I first moved to “my holler in Kentucky”, I’ve enjoyed watching these amazing creature! I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching ’em on summer evenings.

An on that note, I’m going to close today’s vanity post which contained Part 2 of this month’s “7th of the Month” post. Stay tuned for the third, and final, category in August 2026’s “7th of the Month” post, which will be coming tomorrow!

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August 2026’s “7th of the Month” Post (Part 1)… Vanity Post #68

With today being the 7th day of August, it’s time for this month’s “7th of the month” post to be published, but I’m changing it up a bit. Since I’ve been publishing “vanity posts” on a daily basis, I’ve decided to publish August 2026’s “7th of the month” post in three separate “vanity posts” — one for each of the usual sections:

  • Holler,
  • Personal, and, of course,
  • Writing.

So… In today’s vanity post, I’ll be sharing information about what’s been happening here at “my holler in Kentucky”. Here goes…

Holler Happenings

Hello from “my holler in Kentucky”! I began this “month” (from 7 July through 6 August) brainstorming a multi-page list of projects I want to accomplish around the holler. Then, Sweet Thing and I decided which ones we’ll tackle first, and they are as follows:

  • relocate the trailer;
  • replace the front yard water faucet (so I can FINALLY get the timer that I’m hoping will make watering my “garden babies” easier); and
  • start building shelves in the annex (so I’ll have places for all of the things I want to keep — and eventually put up into the loft that I hope to get next year.

I spent A LOT of time this month getting the trailer (which now has electricity, by the way) ready for relocating it to its new home. This meant going through all of the “stuff” (including some memorabilia from Mom) that had accumulated in it AND transferring said “stuff” to the annex (which also now has electricity) — wagon load by heavy wagon load! I’m happy to report that it’s almost ready to move. Just have to pump up its tires, clear out the spot which will be its new home, and the move it!

As far as my gardening is concerned, I took advantage of a GreenStalk sale and purchased enough components to have EIGHT 3-tier GreenStalk vertical planters. In addition, I purchased enough bags of potting soil to fill all eight vertical planters. Sadly, though, by the time I finally got all of these things, I lost the motivation to garden. Consequently,all I’ve been doing is (1) hand-watering the “garden babies” that I did manage to grow ( lots of potatoes (in both a GreenStalk vertical planter and six terra cotta pots); lots of onions (in a GreenStalk vertical planter and four “grow bags”); a GreenStalk planter full of strawberries, and two cucumber plants in one tier of a GreenStalk vertical planter.), and (2) wondering where I’m going to store all of the GreenStalk components and other gardening supplies.

So, there you have it: Part 1 of August 2026’s “7th of the month” post. Stay tuned for Parts 2 (Personal) and 3 (Writing) coming soon!

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Relocating… Vanity Post #67

Today, I spent some time relocating my “sewing station” since it’s old location was preventing Sweet Thing from working on at least one of his current projects.

Yesterday, I had thought about relocating it to the building formerly “sans light” OR to the trailer that is destined to become my “writing retreat”. However, I started changing my mind about using either of those two locations for several reasons:

  • Each of those locations would make it rather inconvenient to get any sewing done being so far from the house;
  • Getting packed up and ready to go to my weekly “quilt-along” sessions would be inconvenient as well; and
  • It’s been too hot (often into triple-digit temperatures) AND/OR too muddy (thanks to LOTS of pop-up showers and “angry skies”) to be traipsing back and forth between the house and either of the afore-mentioned potential locations.

So… I ended up relocating my “sewing station” from the office to the pantry across the hall, where I’ll be using our big chest freezer as both an ironing board and a cutting table. I’m not sure whether this new location will work out or not, but at least Sweet Thing now has room to spread out as he works.

Only time will tell…

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“Zero-Sugar”… Vanity Post #66

After having been diagnosed with “pre-diabetes” (and, eventually, diabetes), I have been doing my darndest to keep my glucose under control, so I won’t have to deal with insulin injections — and other methods of giving one’s body the insulin it needs.

I figured that the best way to deal with “pre-diabetes” is to do what is recommended as a course of action for dealing with many — if not, most — of the chronic diseases:

  • change one’s diet; and
  • get more exercise.

I’m happy to report that I’ve been having a fair amount of success at keeping my glucose under control by doing both of these things. However, a package of “Zero-Sugar Vanilla Wafer Cookies” that have been hanging out in the pantry — untouched — for quite some time threw me for a loop — AND sent my glucose readings skyrocketing!

One recent day, I decided to get rid of those cookies — the temptation that was staring me in the face every time I went into the pantry — especially since Sweet Thing wasn’t eating them. (Guess that should’ve been my first clue that something wasn’t quite right with them. Hindsight…) So, yeah… I decided to start eating them — in moderation… only a serving at a time with each meal — until they were finally all gone.

When I first started on this plan to eliminate the temptation those cookies were causing, my glucose readings were staying relatively steady — in the high 110s and the low 120s. Not within the normal range, but not high enough to send me to the ER. After the first couple of servings, my glucose went from 118 to 139, which caused a bit of concern, but I’d seen it spike that high after eating other sources of carbs.

The next day, I forgot to have some of the “Zero-Sugar” cookies, so I had a serving just before I exercised, thinking that I’d be able to “exercise away” the effect of eating them. Well… That decision proved to be disastrous because my glucose reading went up by 10 “points” (or whatever measurement is used) to 149.

Well… That should have been a warning to stop eating those cookies, but I was determined to get rid of those darned cookies — by eating ’em all since I don’t like “wasting food” by throwing it away. So, yeah… I ate one serving of those “Zero-Sugar” cookies with each meal that day, and I bet you can probably guess what happened to my glucose readings the next day.

If you guessed that my glucose reading went up, you’d be correct — except that it didn’t just go up by 10 like it had just done! No! It SKYROCKETED! It went from 149 one day to a whoppin’ 187 the next day! Wow! I was in shock! I think that had to have been my highest fasting glucose reading EVER — or, at least, very close to the highest!

When I got that reading, I shared it with Sweet Thing, and he said that it was because of “sugar alcohols” — AND that he hadn’t been eating them since they really mess with his glucose readings, too. At that point, I took a closer look at the list of ingredients (just before I hid them out of sight), but I don’t really know which ingredient was the cause of my glucose spike.

All I do know is that the current trend for labeling beverages and foods as “zero-sugar” are VERY misleading! I suspect that people tend to think that “zero-sugar” beverages and foods are a healthier alternative. However, this recent “Zero-Sugar” experience of mine has changed my way of thinking, AND it has made me more aware of the problems with labeling.

Follow-up: After my glucose skyrocketed to the whoppin’ 187, I refused to eat any more of those “Zero-Sugar” cookies AND vowed to stay away from highly-processed food as much as possible. Since that change in my eating habits, I’m happy to report that my glucose readings for the next six days were in the low 100s to the mid 110s. Still not quite within the “new” normal range, but closer than I’ve been in quite some time.

Now that you’ve heard my “Zero-Sugar” story, I’d love to hear about any similar dietary experiences you might have had. Hope you’ll take the time to leave a (related) comment.

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Thoughts of Dad… Vanity Post #65

Today was Dad’s birthday, so I thought of him often throughout the day, especially when I was in the kitchen cooking. Even though Mom did much of the cooking when I was growing up, Dad certainly wasn’t a stranger in the kitchen. I remember his spaghetti sauce, which, I swear, would simmer in a skillet on the back burner of the stove for hours. He would check on it every now and then by dipping a spoon into it and tasting it, adding more seasoning if he thought it needed that “something else”. If I happened to be nearby during one of those tastings, he’d reach into the silverware drawer, grab a spoon, and then offer me a taste. To me, everything Dad made was delicious, so I couldn’t figure out how he knew it needed “a bit of this” or a “pinch of that”.

Anyway… There was something else that I remember Dad making: Saratoga Chips. When he’d stand at the stove on which sat a familiar two-piece pot,(which I think I still have) I knew we were in for a special dinner that night — of broiled steak, Saratoga Chips, and corn. At the thought of Saratoga Chips, I felt an intense desire to make myself a batch of them to enjoy on Dad’s birthday, but… Alas!, I didn’t have any potatoes to do the making of Saratoga Chips justice, so I just did a quick online search for “Saratoga Chips”, which, I must say, do have an interesting history. So, in honor of Dad’s birthday, I thought I’d share a bit of that history (from: originalsaratogachips.com) with you today:

“As a local legend goes, in 1853, when gentlemen wore tight collars and too many layers of clothing, one wealthy patron (perhaps a little disgruntled from the summer weather) entered Moons Lake House, a restaurant on the shores of Saratoga Lake in Saratoga Springs, NY, where George Crum worked as a cook.

The grumpy patron ordered Moon’s Fried Potatoes, their well-known house specialty. At that time, fried potatoes (French fried potatoes) were commonly served in thick-cut slices in the French tradition. This particular patron found the slices to be too thick and soggy. Dissatisfied, he sent them back to the kitchen and requested that they be sliced thinner. He was duly served a second portion, and still not satisfied; he returned them yet again, insisting that they be cut thinner still. Not particularly receptive to criticism of his cooking, the spirited Mr. Crum obliged by slicing them as paper-thin as he could manage and salting them heavily in an attempt to make them inedible! Deep-fried, they became quite crispy, they became impossible to eat with a fork. Intending to teach the wealthy patron a lesson, the reaction from the diner instead was one of enthusiastic appreciation and a request for a second serving of chips! Soon other diners requested Crum’s Saratoga Chips. And so begins the illustrious history of “Saratoga Chips”, a Moon’s Lake House specialty.”

After reading this history, I realized that Dad might have heard about — and learned how to cook — Saratoga Chips while he was stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base near Rome, New York. I don’t know if this is true, but all I DO know is that I LOVED the Saratoga Chips that Dad made! So… Every now and then, I’ll get in the mood for making a batch of Saratoga Chips for myself — though mine never taste as good as Dad’s!

Miss you AND your Saratoga Chips, Dad!

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Limericks… Vanity Post #64

Another one of Chuck Lorre’s “vanity cards” captured my attention, so I just had to feature it in one of MY “vanity posts”.

In the vanity card of his that was at the end of S3:Ep13 of “Mom” (an episode entitled “Sticky Hands and a Walk on the Wild Side”), Chuck shared the following limerick with his viewers:

“There was a man named Benedict Lincoln,

who had untamed negative thinkin’.

The world came and went,

but he was absent,

distracted by thoughts that were stinkin’.

After reading his limerick, I thought, “I can write something like that! Thus inspired, I did a bit of research into “how to write a limerick”, and after giving some thought to the advice I’d read, I started thinking about one of my own.

Here’s what I came up with — after much thought and a long, hot shower:

There once was a building sans light,

which left me a terrible plight:

How can I sort in that

when I’m blind as a bat?

Then Sweet Thing said, “Now you’ve got light!

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Everything needed to be charged… Vanity Post #63

Grrr……. Everything needed to be charged tonight!

I’ve discovered that, every now and then, EVERY electronic thing I own runs out of “juice” (that invisible form of energy that “hides” in electrical outlets and power strips) AT THE SAME TIME! Tonight was one of those times!!

Thankfully, I’ve got a new “flat plug power strip” that I just “installed” (read: plugged into an extension cord, which is plugged into one of those afore-mentioned electrical outlets) next to where I do most of my work.

Now, I’ve just got to give it (the new power strip) a more permanent home before its temporary location becomes permanent — as most “temporary” solutions tend to do.