Interwebz!

We've got an appointment to have internet hooked up today. Yay! I've got pictures and posts I've been waiting to publish for when I have access to my laptop instead of my cell phone.

Also on the agenda today:  sewing curtains. I've had four of the 22 panels done for a while now, but I haven't had any way to hang them.  B went to Lowe's yesterday and got a few pieces of lumber, some brackets, and some dowels. He made me some really awesome curtain rods.  He made these nifty little box ends with slots that the dowels slide into. They're mounted on L brackets, so they're easy to put up and take down. Since they're wood, and not that aluminum crinkle crap, when we pack up and move, they'll travel better. I might *might* break a dowel somehow (they're at least 1.25 in diameter), but no bending or crushing, and no sharp edges. I'm dead clumsy, so this is a much bigger benefit than you might realize.  Another chore on today's list is staining these brackets. I figure if I do it early enough, I can polyurethane them today, too and possibly have some curtains hung by tomorrow. 

I've got a sprinkler, now. Since we're responsible for keeping the poor grass alive through the drought, I've got to remember to water the grass a few nights a week. Some of the patches might be beyond help at this point, but we'll see. Thank the gods I don't have to pay for the water! 

I've got freezer meals to make, too. I made a batch of chicken stew. Ever tried to make a small batch of stew or soup? Without a can, it's not too easy. The stuff just seems to grow in the pot, becoming larger and larger. I had some potatoes and onions in the basement that were getting on the far side of good, so I figured I'd better use them up. Stew seemed like an excellent solution, since I also had a chicken carcass and some chicken breasts that I'd frozen and were already getting freezer burned.  Just a note:  cheap baggies are not always a good thing. They don't protect food as well in the freezer.  My chicken was showing burnt spots within a week of being frozen. Fortunately, this doesn't matter much in a hearty stew, because the slow simmer rehydrates and tenderizes the damaged meat. Flavor loss is rectified with a flavorful, well-seasoned broth.  But I've got a lot leftover. I have some mini pie pans that are begging for pot pies, though. Before the week is out, I'm going to make some pastry dough and help them out with filling their voids :-P.

The Pup got back from block leave this weekend, and before he left Bryan and I had charged him to be a taste tester in our chili war. Bryan made his first, before everyone scattered for block leave, so mine got made a couple nights ago. I can't make a small batch of chili, either. It just isn't possible. I also have a lot of white rice leftover. I serve my chili over rice with cheese and sour cream. I fortunately have some mini loaf pans that are also begging to be filled. I think chili-rice loaves with cheese on top will fill them up nicely.

Our neighbor, Fin, has gotten in on the chili cookoff. She's making a batch when her husband comes home on R&R. The Pup is in hog heaven. His exact words were "I win! Oh my christ I so win!  I love army wives!" Lol.  Last night he was over for leftovers and to hang out, and he took out my trash and recyclables, and mopped my kitchen without being asked. If B's not spoiling me, his friends are. 

Anyway, I better get off the phone and get to work if I'm going to complete any of this stuff.  I'm still unpacking, and trying to keep on top of laundry.  I'm expecting the UPS man today, too, to bring me my foot pedal, and I've got two transcripts waiting impatiently to be typed and turned in. Actually typing out all the things waiting for me makes it look a little intimidating.  I've been just bulldoggedly tackling one thing at a time without looking too far ahead for fear of drowning.

Time to pour another cup of coffee and bust out the sewing machine... oh, and do dishes.