I am just so happy you share these ideas with us! I was going to do your snake hunt idea for my sons bday this year ,but the little bugger wanted a Pokemon bday party...lol..so I made cupcakes decorated like Poke Balls instead!;) So I figure this summer I will have a little get together for his buddies and do it then. I am determined to have a snake hunt!:) I also wanted to ask you,do you have holes poked in the hose right where the jug will be? Or do you use a "pre poked" soaker hose? I am thinking using your idea would be great for keeping the soil moist around the jugs also,which in turn,I would think,keep the jugs from drying out as fast.I am definitely acquiring a few soaker hoses this year! :)

So to finish out my week, I did the king-sized, 4-years of furred bedding at that Laundromat I mentioned. I don't sleep in the MBR, having lived in it without heat, air conditioning, plumbing, extension cords strung through the walls to the fuse box, with 7 cats & their littler boxes for almost 5 years. It's been the cattery, where they lounge on their king bed, as all cats should. Did you know that at the Laundromat, (and if you did, why didn't you tell me?) you can put 3 loads' worth of laundry in one, giant machine? Or two, extremely furry heavy king comforters/quilts in one!!?? Talk about a time saver. I did 7 loads of furry bedding (and some clothes) including some pillows in less than 20 minutes. OMG, pinch me. The GIANT dryers were fantastic!! I could put all the bleached stuff in one huge dryer, so those 7 loads were handled by 3 machines. You could stuff a few bodies in those dryers and no one would be the wiser. Until later, of course. It cost me about $30.00 in coins. In time? Lunch I had with a friend? In excitement about these cool machines? I feel like it all came out about free. YEAH for Laundromats! Came home, (ohhh stuff is still in the back of the truck at 1:00 on Saturday afternoon) took and took a well-deserved nap. I slaved, you know. THEN I mowed the other 2/3rds of my lawn. That's just under 2 hours. Watched a taped Game of Thrones. Can you believe Oberon's head was squished? I'd forgotten from the books. Gives a whole 'nother meaning to "If I want any crap out of you, I'll squeeze your head." Oh, how incredibly tasteless of me! GD&R! Actually put sheets on the daybed I've been sleeping on, with one of my cats I sequester. She pees and poops everywhere, so her room is gated with sheet linoleum down on the hard wood. That's a day late and many dollars short, because that floor is probably ruined, anyway. She's so social, though, that even though she's roaming free in the daytime, she lets me know she wants company to sleep. Loudly and incessantly. I bought some twin microfiber sheets online. I was using king sheets folded in half. Uncomfortable. We'll see about this microfiber thing, though. They're very soft, but I can't tell if they breathe at all. Can't wake myself up gasping at night. It's bad enough snoring wakes me up and there's no one there to blame. Go figure. All in all, I had a less than (standardly) productive week, but I'm pretty happy with it! (How is it I always write a novel!?) You guys, too!?

I don't think I've been to a fair like that since I lived in Texas, but it does bring back fond memories, and I'm glad to see people still enjoying it. Congratulations on the ribbons! I'll bet Bud is especially happy with his. How do you use the leeks, once they are dried? I've only used them in potato soup.

joyful, I remember when televisions were called "television sets" because they actually did have a set of tubes in them. Then, it was shortened to "sets". Those old TVs lasted for decades! And, they were repairable. Now the technology has changed and my TV is almost out dated despite it being only a very few years old. Refrigerators were much the same, as you said. Vacuums were repaired. For some unknown reason vacuums and sewing machines came into the same repair shops. Even Sears used to sell the vacuums and sewing machines in the same department. I used to sell them. I never saw any relationship between the two except for the fact that both of these things were largely used by women. Think that has anything to do with it? I have stepped aside from much of that consuming and have simply opted out from owning things that I can do without. That includes a toaster, microwave and automatic coffee maker. I just got tired of replacing and throwing away all the time. To put in a microwave in my kitchen would have required too much remaking of the kitchen space since it was built when microwaves were still sitting on little carts in the kitchen. I just said "no". I don't miss it one little bit, at all. My first microwave lasted for over 12 years. It was an Amana and I think that I am correct in remembering that it was made in the US. I think it was called a "radar range". Things began to change right about that time....early 80s.