Yes, it's chilly.  Yesterday I was working outside and broke a sweat in a very light t-shirt.  Today - well the wood stove is back in business.  Gotta love the upper-midwest, no?

We're in the market for a new mattress for the aforementioned new bedroom.  Sounds simple enough.  But researching them is mind-boggling.  Every retailer has a different name for theirs.  Hard to compare one from the other.  We want a good one for a low dollar.  But then maybe everyone does.

And I'm in the market for a way to store homemade bread.  I use plastic bags like the next person.  But I've had a problem with too big of loaves for the bags I buy.  The next size up is 2-gallon.  I don't need that big.

This blog is not the place to air grievances within a family.  And I hope it has never been that.  But I wanted to portray a picture of the differences between men/women.  I recently was at a warehouse club and saw a screaming deal on arborvitae.  I had a friendly guy "Scott" help haul them out and put them in the back of the van.  The three I purchased completely filled the back of the van.  Got home.  And with every bit of strength I had, got them out of the van.  It was no small thing as they weighed a   ton lot.  So that evening as I was telling the Chairman my back was really hurting because of my noble efforts (and fully expecting a tender touch or a word of thankfulness), he said, 'well did you use your legs when you were lifting them out of the van?  You know it's the way you lift determines if you get hurt or not.'  Um.  Well.  Thankyouverymuch for your care and thanksgiving that I got a good deal.  Me?  I just wanted some applause.  Him?  He wanted to try and 'fix' what wasn't right.  Yep.  Men.  Gotta love them.  I might add he planted them all without complaint...      

So I was at a local discount store (not the one with the bullseye).  And you know what?  The 'myth' of bad parents in those stores isn't a myth.  I think the last five times I've been there I've witnessed dreadful parenting skills.  I wonder instead of Subway shops, they could put in a quick 15-minute seminar on how to be a decent mom.  Just sayin'.  Then... I decide to cut across down the soda aisle (or pop for you folks in MN), to another part of the store.  There's only an elderly man in that aisle.  And as I got close... well, PU!  He must have had beans or cabbage last night.  It was something else.  And somehow he thought that no one would notice.  PU I say!

And on a final note...  my mom just texted me.  (Yes, my parents really enjoy texting these days.)  A clean report from her oncologist.  After cancer has visited twice, you don't take good news for granted.  Some are not so fortunate.  So it's good to think of them.  And to be thankful when the news is good.