April Showers Bring May Flowers

It has been a rainy couple of days here with thunderstorms and some deluges. We need the rain but I can do without the gullywashers. Hopefully tomorrow I can get the cucumbers in the ground or we will have them growing on the porch.

One of the things I want to do now that I am not working is to visit my parents I haven't seen in 2 years. I checked on the price of a bus ticket as my car should probably not make an 8 hour trip. $174.00! OK, it would also take 10-12 hours and the times were in the wee hours of the morning. Also my parents would have to drive an hour to pick me up! Next I thought about renting a car. Good news, it was only $7 more. Of course I also have to buy gas, but the convenience of leaving when I want to and being able to take what I want to without restrictions I think makes it worthwhile. Who knows when I will get another vacation? I booked the reservation online but before I did I checked with the local center on price, it was over $300! So I did book it online, hopefully there will be no nasty surprises when I go to pick up the car next week.

I also think it is a shame all the extra fees they add on, what started as $110 became $181 with the consolidated facility charge, Texas reimbursment fee, busing recovery fee, concession recovery fee, sales tax and county stadium tax. All of this extra stuff is directed at tourists and people who go to conventions. Exactly what it pays for beats me because they charge you everywhere for parking, and if you want to go to something at the convention center in Houston or a ball game for those that like sports, you pay through the nose for the privilege. Oh well...........

I have been working in the house on the living room, It is becoming my studio/living room as I am organizing almost all my crafting stuff in there and the desk Charles brought home for free is working out quite well. I do want to get a good desk chair, we'll see how the money holds out first though. When I get it all together I'll post some pictures.

A couple of days ago I made a batch of navy beans with onions and carrots and the last of the ham, cooked it with the bone also for flavor. We ate on that for a couple of days and were getting tired of it so I canned 7 pints to add to the cupboard. I did have to get a new pressure cooker as my old one is no longer sealing and holding pressure. The lid fell from the shelf and I think it bent it just enough. I got the last pot Walmart had but it was cheaper than it showed online. $68. Well worth it as much as I use it. My oven does not work so I use the pressure cooker for roasts and chickens as well as canning. I made our thanksgiving turkey in it too, it was wonderful. My toaster oven can only hold so much.

I have been to the charity thrift shops and have picked up lots of craft supplies and some will be added to my etsy supply store, some will be used for crafts in handmade etsy shop.