All Hallows Eve 2011 (304/365)

“Nothing beats a haunted moonlit night on All Hallows Eve.... And on this fatal night, at this witching time, the starless sky laments black and unmoving. The somber hues of an ominous, dark forest are suddenly illuminated under the emerging face of the full moon.”

~Kim Elizabeth (Author and Poet of the macabre)

TIME:  6:46 PM
PLACE:  The neighborhood
SUBJECT:  StellaDella

During our trick-or-treat outing tonight, StellaDella told me several times that this was the “Best Halloween ever!”  I think this conclusion was made based on the volume of the candy she obtained - her bag was overflowing - and the number of compliments she received on her costume - at nearly every house we visited the folks said she was the best costume they had seen all night.  Happy Halloween!

Sunday Dryer Nap (303/365)

“Now I thought I would observe how he spent his Sunday. While I and my companion were looking about at the trees and river, he went to sleep. Indeed, he improved every opportunity to get a nap, whatever the day.”

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), U.S. philosopher, author, naturalist. "The Allegash and East Branch" (1864) in The Maine Woods (1864), in The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, vol. 3, p. 223, Houghton Mifflin (1906).

TIME:  5:51 PM
PLACE:  Basement
SUBJECT:  Tessa, napping on the warm dryer

I spent my Sunday doing laundry.  The cat spent her Sunday napping on the warm dryer.  I think she enjoyed her day more than I did.

Stealthy Chaperoning (302/365)

Dorothy Shaw: …The chaperone's job is to see that nobody else has any fun. Nobody chaperone's the chaperone. That's why I'm so right for this job.

Russell, Jane, perf. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Dir. Howard Hawks. 1953. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporations.

TIME:  8:00 PM
PLACE: Backyard
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen’s teen party

HH and I had a weak moment and agreed to let DQ invite her 8th grade friends over for a party for her birthday.  Outside.  With a bonfire.  Girls and boys.  What were we thinking?  Ah well.  They weren’t too much trouble.  I did have to be stealthy in taking a picture and didn’t get the fire pit in like I wanted because DQ saw me and I got the “Mo-ther!” from her.  We pretty much stayed inside…going out every half-hour or so to check on the food and  the fire or to take out the dog and discreetly do our chaperoning thing.

Impressive Wingspan (301/365)

Rex: Mr. Lightyear, now I'm curious... what does a space ranger actually do?
Woody: He's not a space ran-*ger*! He doesn't fight evil or, or... shoot lasers or fly.
Buzz: Excuse me. [Deploys his wings; all exclaim in excitement]
Hamm: Wow. Impressive wingspan. Very good.

Wallace Shawn, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, & Don Rickles, perf. Toy Story. Dir. John Lasseter. 1995. Pixar Animation Studios.

TIME:  4:59 PM
PLACE:  Front yard
SUBJECT:  StellaDella as a Dragon

Here it is.  My goal was to spend as little as possible on her Halloween costume this year.  Cause in the past I’ve gone way overboard. 

Here is the breakdown:
Cardboard box – free from grocery store
Duct Tape/Spray Paint/felt – on hand
Google eyes – $1.00
Flashlight – $1.00
Cellophane paper – $3.00
Belt for tail – free from thrift store
Umbrella for wings – on hand (it was broken)
Elastic & bias tape for wings – $3.76
Black turtleneck & leggings – $7.00
Total – $15.76

I succeeded.  And I think it turned out pretty awesome-sauce.
(Oh, and way to go Cards - 2011 World Series Champs!)

In The Beauty Shop Mirror (300/365)

[looking in the mirror with Rapunzel]
Mother Gothel: Look in that mirror. I see a strong, confident, beautiful young lady.
[Rapunzel smiles]
Mother Gothel: Oh look, you're here too.

Murphy, Donna, perf. Tangled. Dir. Nathan Greno & Bryon Howard. 2010. Walt Disney Pictures.

TIME:  4:41 PM
PLACE:  Hairdressers
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen

Well, she made it to fourteen.  At noon, I picked her up from school and took her out for a birthday lunch.  At 3:30, she and SD had hair appointments – SD got a trim and DQ got highlights.  Here she is taking a picture of her birthday coiffure to text to her friends.  I may be biased, but I definitely see a beautiful young lady.  Happy Birthday my lovely daughter!

Pre-Birthday Fun (299/365)

Marge Simpson:Well, if a bully picks on you and Milhouse isn't there to protect you, the best way to deal with him is make him feel good.
Bart Simpson: How do I do that?
Marge Simpson: You could say something nice about him. Try complimenting his glasses.

"Lisa Simpson, This Isn't Your Life." The Simpsons. 14 Nov. 2010. Television.

TIME:  4:13 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen

I bought these glasses to use the eyes on StellaDella’s costume.  Before I disassembled them, DQ tried them on.  Cute, huh?  Does she remind you of anything?  No?  How about this…

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

They look so much alike, it’s scary.

In honor of her 14th birthday, a much nicer photo of the DQ will be posted tomorrow, I promise.

Contrails (298/365)

“…Or maybe you're laying back on a lawn chair somewhere watching
Contrails disappear from the sky.”

Richmond Fontaine. "Contrails." Lost Son. Cavity Search Records, Portland, 1999. CD.

TIME:  11:27 AM
PLACE:  Backyard
SUBJECT:  Contrails

A very lovely, breezy, warm fall day with bright blue skies.  I was able to spend some time outside, enjoying the weather as I was spray painting StellaDella’s Halloween costume (it involves cardboard and lots of duct tape…there will definitely be a photo of it in an upcoming post).  I’ve read that if jet contrails are longer and wider than normal, it will rain. Contrails are partly composed of water vapor, and the more moisture there is in the air, the longer and wider the contrails will be.  We are supposed to have rain tomorrow, so it will interesting to see if this holds true.

Un-Amused Corvette Finds Window Prints Un-Amusing (297/365)

Murray Burns: [shouts at rows of houses] Neighbors, I have an announcement for you. I have never seen such a collection of dirty windows. Now I want to see all of you out there on the fire escape with your Mr. Clean bottles, and let's snap it up!

Robards, Jason, perf. A Thousand Clowns. Dir. Fred Coe. 1965. united Artists. DVD.

TIME:  3:47 PM
PLACE:  Back driveway
SUBJECT:  Fingerprints on passenger window

The husband just *had* to wash his mid-life-crisis-mobile today.  You know, it was caught in the rain…twice.  TWICE!  And then, on Saturday, MonkeyBoy used the window as a door handle and left fingerprints all over the corner of the glass.  Oh, the horror.

Cornered (296/365)

"It doesn't matter who scores the points, it's who can get the ball to the scorer"

Larry Bird (American, NBA basketball player and coach, b1956)

TIME:  3:55 PM (Saturday)
PLACE:  Basketball tournament
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy

About 10pm this evening I realized that I hadn’t taken a photo today.  And I decided that I didn’t feel like scrambling to do so either.  So I’m using one from yesterday’s basketball tournament.  Here, MB has the ball and is being pressured a couple of players on the opposing team.  He managed to get the ball to player #3 (he’s coming in on the left) who was able to make a basket.  Nice pass MB.

Freckled (295/365)

“A girl without freckles is like a night without stars”

~Unknown

TIME:  10:40 AM
PLACE:  Basketball Tournament
SUBJECT:  StellaDella

We spent our Saturday at MonkeyBoy’s basketball tournament.  The first game was at 10:15 - winner.  Then at 12:45, they played the winning team from the other bracket – winner.  Finally, came the tourney championship game at 3:15 – chicken dinner!!  About the time the final championship game was being played, SD was becoming a little bored by the whole deal and was ready to go home.  She started to hang all over HH and me on the bleachers.  That’s ok…you can do that when you have cute freckles like she does.

Sumo Wrestler (294/365)

“A sculpture is just a painting cut out and stood up somewhere.”

François de la Rochefoucauld (French classical author, leading exponent of the Maxime, 1613-1680)

TIME:  5:47 PM
PLACE:  Front porch
SUBJECT:  Paper-mâché sculpture

Remember DramaQueen's art project “Bobert” she made back in March?  MonkeyBoy also made one during his 1st quarter art class.  It’s a sumo wrestler/striped/reminds-me-of-a-penguin/sculpture.  The weird thing?  MB named him “Bob” – When I mentioned DQ’s was named “Bobert”, he said he didn’t know that she had named hers that.  He just liked the name.  I’m not sure if I believe him or if he did that just to irritate his sister.  With MB you never know.

Dig It (293/365)

“Handing some guys the keys to a Bobcat or backhoe is like handing a group of teenagers the key to your liquor cabinet.”

~ Andy Wasowski, author

TIME:  1:14 PM
PLACE:  Home
SUBJECT:  Backhoe bucket

When we moved into this house, HH promised me he would run electric out to the detached garage…ten years later, I’m finally it.  Pretty soon (I hope), when I park the Miata, I won’t have to stop, get out of the car, unlock the garage, pull up the garage door, get back in the car, maneuver the car into the garage (many times in the dark), get out and then finally, close the garage door and lock it back up.  I’d like to think HH is doing it because he loves me and doesn’t want me to have to do all that work each time I drive the Miata.  I really know it’s because he has his fancy-schmancy-mid-life-crisis parked in there too and he doesn’t want to do all that either.  I’ll take what I can get.

It Might Be Time To Call An Exterminator (292/365)

Dr. Ross Jennings: Come on, let's go find that spider. And let's find your mom to take care of that spider. Honey, we're in the living room. We need you to kill a spider.

Daniels, Jeff, perf. Arachnophobia. Dir. Frank Marshall. 1990. Amblin Entertainment.

TIME:  8:52 PM
PLACE:  The shower curtain
SUBJECT:  A ginormous spider

Lordy, the spiders are numerous and gigantic around here this year.  I don’t mind them outside - like the one I took a photo of on September 21st - but when they work their way into the house and hang out on the shower curtain, that’s when I got issues.  I might need to be giving the Orkin Man a call.

End Of The Season (291/365)

"Corn wind in the fall, come off the black lands,
come off the whisper of the silk hangers,
the lap of the flat spear leaves."

- Carl Sandburg

TIME:  10:04 AM
PLACE:  Cornfield
SUBJECT:  Corn stalks in a muddy field

A rainy fall morning.  I drove the kids to school then went to Wal-mart (yuck)  for some grocery shopping.  Since it was a Tuesday, it wasn’t too crowded and fairly tolerable.  I even got a flu shot while I was there…no waiting.  On the drive back to the house, I stopped to take a quick photo of one of the many end-of-the-season cornfields I passed along the way.

It Soothes, It Heals (290/365)

Napoleon Dynamite: Well, will you do me a favor then? Can you bring me my chapstick?
Kip: No, Napoleon.
Napoleon Dynamite: But my lips hurt real bad!
Kip: Just borrow some from the school nurse. I know she has like five sticks in her drawer.
Napoleon Dynamite: I'm not gonna use hers, you sicko!

Heder, John, and Aaron Ruell, perf. Napoleon Dynamite. Dir. Jarad Hess. 2004. Paramount Pictures.

TIME:  9:25 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  Carmex Click Stick

Guess who has a sinus infection/cold/sore throat?  Yeah, it’s me – Thank you StellaDella for spreading the joy.  Last night I was so stuffed up, I couldn’t breathe through my nose at all.  I ended up doing the “sleeping with the mouth open” routine.  When I woke up this morning I was extremely thirsty and had very dry and cracked lips.  Luckily I had this lip balm on hand to help make them feel better.  I love me some Carmex.  It’s time to stock up for the winter.

Owls (289/365)

“I rejoice that there are owls.... They represent the stark twilight and unsatisfied thoughts which all have.“

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), U.S. philosopher, author, naturalist. Walden (1854), in The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, vol. 2, p. 139, Houghton Mifflin (1906).

TIME:  12:32 & 12:25 PM
PLACE:  Wildbirds Unlimited
SUBJECT:  “Miss Mocha” - a Short-eared owl & “Boomerang” - a Barred owl

Wildbirds Unlimited had the Treehouse Wildlife Center in today with two birds of prey for people to see.  These owls are permanent residents of the Treehouse due to certain physical conditions that preclude them being released back into the wild.  StellaDella and I went to take a look at them.   They are such beautiful and majestic birds – even when Miss Mocha released some owl pellets on the floor.

Building Detail (288/365)

“No architecture is so haughty as that which is simple.”

John Ruskin (English Writer and Critic of art, architecture, and society, 1819-1900)

TIME:  4:43 PM
PLACE:  Corner of Abend & Mascoutah Ave.
SUBJECT:  Flower detail on building

HH and I went to a fundraiser this afternoon for the restoration of the Gustave Koerner home.  It was a “Bier Tasting Garden” and there were several specialty imported seasonal beers to drink and bratwurst, pretzels, cheeses and sausages to eat.  It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and perfect weather for sitting outside and drinking a beer or two.  The county historical society had purchased a building that sits catty-corner from the home that is being restored.  They eventually plan to use the building as a gift shop and educational center for the Koerner home.  This detail is on a column on that building.

Plastic Pumpkin (287/365)

“If you're in a war, instead of throwing a hand grenade at the enemy, throw one of those small pumpkins. Maybe it'll make everyone think how stupid war is, and while they are thinking, you can throw a real grenade at them.”

Jack Handy (American Writer and cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1991-2003. Famous for his Deep Thoughts comedy sketches.)

TIME:  5:45 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  Vintage plastic pumpkin

Ouch.  That pained me to write “vintage”, but it is because it’s at least 40 years old.  This is my plastic-candy-gathering-pumpkin from the early 1970’s.  My name is still on the bottom – printed by my mom with blue pen on first aid tape.  My brother’s had plastic pumpkins for trick-or-treating too, but theirs were round with more traditional faces.  I always liked mine better because he was winking.

Guess Where I Was At 10:19pm (286/365)

TIME:  10:19 PM
PLACE:  Walgreens
SUBJECT: Sign

7:00 pm: Son announces he needs photos for a class project tomorrow.  Tells you he reminded you of this yesterday.  You insist this was not vocalized.  He insists back that it was.
7:01 pm:  Realize that you have no ink to print photos at home.  Decide on Plan “B” – Walgreens one-hour photo.
7:21 pm:  Spend 20 minutes searching your hard drive for specific photos your son wants.  Decide you need a better photo organizing system but it isn’t going to happen tonight.
7:22 pm:  Upload photos, and choose Walgreens near your 8:00 pm meeting place.  Forget to click “Place Order Now” button.  Go upstairs to change for meeting.
7:36 pm:  Check status of order before leaving.  Realize you forgot to click “Place Order Now” button as page tells you your pickup time has changed.  Click to accept new pickup time.  Again forget to click “Place Order Now” button.
8:00 pm:  Arrive at your 8:00pm class reunion planning meeting.  Drink one beer during meeting. (well, it was at a bar).
9:11 pm:  With meeting over, enter nearby Walgreens to pick up photos.  Discover they have no record of your order.  Call home to see if confirmation email was received.  It wasn’t.  Realize you probably forgot to click the d*#m button again.  Further discover that this Walgreens closes at 10:00pm and cannot process photos tonight.
9:31 pm:  Arrive back home.  Locate another Walgreens that will process  photos until midnight.  Praise the heavens that it is close by.  Remember to click the “Place Order Now” button.  Verify confirmation email.  Eat 8 – Mary Jane’s Peanut Butter Kisses that you bought at the first Walgreens after you found out that you messed up ordering the photos.
9:48 pm: Receive email that your order is ready.  Head out to pick up photos.
10:19 pm: As you leave Walgreens with the photos, realize you have no picture for the blog today.  Swear and quickly snap photo of store sign.

Fever (285/365)

“'Tis healthy to be sick sometimes.”

Henry David Thoreau (American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher, 1817-1862)

TIME:  8:43 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  Thermometer

StellaDella has been battling some sort of bug/virus for the past 4 days.  She’s been running a low grade temperature and has a sore throat.  This isn’t one of those messy sicknesses and the fever and throat pain is being controlled by ibuprofen.  Nevertheless, I haven’t sent her to school this week.  I did have to go into work today, as I hadn’t been there since Thursday.  She accompanied me, along with my laptop and a movie.  I managed to get about 4 hours in and some work done.  That’s a good thing as it doesn't look like she’s going to school tomorrow either.

Cement Mixer (284/365)

“Notoriously insensitive to subtle shifts in moods, children will persist in discussing the color of a recently sighted cement mixer long after one's interest in the topic has waned”

Fran Lebowitz (American Writer and Humorist, b.1950)

TIME:  5:03 PM
PLACE:  Back driveway
SUBJECT:  HH’s cement mixer

This baby mixed 18 bags of Quikrete (2 at a time) for the basement floor yesterday.  I’m pretty sure it saved HH’s back from going out as well.  Plus, it’s a lovely orange color.  What more could you ask from a cement mixer?

Footie Prints (283/365)

Yosemite Sam: Great horny toads! A trespasser, gettin' footie prints all over my desert!

Mel Blanc, perf. *Sahara Hare*. Dir. Fritz Freleng. 1955. Warner Bros. Pictures.

TIME:  9:00 PM
PLACE:  Basement
SUBJECT:  Cat paw prints in the new cement floor
(I’m pretty sure these are Tessa’s)

The HandsomeHusband spent the day mixing and pouring cement to fill some of the sewer work excavation that has been going on in the basement.  At 6 this evening, HH and I went with MonkeyBoy to his soccer practice for the annual end of the season “Parents vs. Players” scrimmage.  We parents won…although, I think all of us will be losers in the aches and pains department tomorrow.  When we returned home, HH headed downstairs to see how the concrete was curing.  Cursing could soon be heard drifting up the stairs.  I guess we didn’t secure the area from the cats as well as we thought.

“C” Is For Caterpillar (282/365)

Khalil: I am a caterpillar. Well, that's not entirely true. My mother was a caterpillar, my father was a worm, but I'm okay with that now.

Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie. 2002. Big Idea Productions. DVD.

TIME:  2:23 PM
PLACE:  Backyard
SUBJECT: Wooly Worm Caterpillar

I started clearing out the yard of summer growth this afternoon…I have quite a number of yard waste bags to go.  It’s definitely more than a couple of days project.  I did find one Wooly Worm Caterpillar while pruning the raspberry bush.  SD named her “Cybil”  I have no idea why.

We Told Her To Quit Slamming Those Jell-O Shots (281/365)

“Fatigue is the best pillow”

Benjamin Franklin (American Statesman, Scientist, Philosopher, Printer, Writer and Inventor. 1706-1790)

TIME:  9:34 PM
PLACE:  Downtown, on the way to the car
SUBJECT:  HandsomeHusband carrying StellaDella who is down for the count

We had Boy Scout Camp, soccer games at 8am & 12:15pm, volunteering at the grade school rummage sale from 7am to 3pm and finally working a shift at the Boy Scout tent at the town’s Chili Cook-off from 6-9 this evening. It was quite the full day for the whole family.  SD helped at the rummage sale, played soccer and helped sell chili and desserts tonight.  Can you say “Finished product”?  I think we all feel that way.

Paperoni (280/365)

“He’s a little bit bunny.
A little bit teddy.
And a whole lotta ZOMBIE!”

Bolger, Kevin. Zombiekins. ed. New York: Pengiun Group, 2010.

TIME:  8:13 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  StellaDella’s Paperoni project

The grade school is holding its annual rummage sale tomorrow.  I was in the gym from 10am until 6:30 this evening helping unload, price and arrange the many donations.  Since the kids were off school, they were up there too.  MonkeyBoy left at 3 to get ready for his Boy Scout campout at a local airport (he gets to fly in a plane tomorrow-pretty cool!) and DramaQueen left about 4:30 so she could get ready to go to our town’s Chili Cook-off this evening with friends.  That left SD with me until the end.  For her help she was able to choose something to take home with her.  She chose a craft kit – Paperoni – something she’s always wanted.  Here, she’s free-forming the Zombie-teddy/bunny from her book “Zombiekins.”  Of course it is.

Secret Stash (279/365)

Crow T. Robot: [Impersonating McCreedy] And here's my secret stash of Cheetos, Dr. Pepper and back issues of Cosmo

Mystery Science Theater 3000, TV Series, episode: “Hobgoblins”, 27 June 1998

TIME:  9:53 PM
PLACE:  Basement
SUBJECT:  Candy

I decided to stock up on Halloween candy early this year.  We usually get a ton of trick-or-treaters at our house.  In addition, we participate in a “Trunk or Treat” at our church, so we need candy for that.  I decided to spread the cost over a couple of paychecks.  This will help deceive myself about how much it actually costs us to distribute candy each year.  I’ve hidden the bags in the basement…who wants to take bets on how long it takes the kids to find them.

I Ate My Homework (278/365)

Bart: Aah! You ate my homework?... I didn't know dogs really did that.

"The Simpsons: Bart the Murderer (#3.4)" (1991)

TIME:  7:02 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy

MB has a busy week…tryouts for the 7th grade basketball team were Monday and Tuesday.  He tried out and he made it!!!!  So that means he has practice today and tomorrow after school.  He also had Boy Scouts and soccer practice Monday night.  Thursday night, after basketball practice, he will help the Boy Scouts put flags up on Main Street for Columbus Day.  He has a soccer game on Saturday morning. This is in addition to the Boy Scout camp-out where he will have an opportunity to fly in an airplane.  Besides all that, he still has to keep up with his homework this week.  His cell project is due tomorrow.  Last year, DQ made hers out of fabric and other craft items.  MB wanted to make his out of cake.  And icing.  And all kinds of other edible stuff.  I think he just wanted to lick the beaters from the mixer.

Chip In The Old Windshield (277/365)

Gus: [looking at baseball cards] We've got statistics! I got 30 homeruns!
Richie: I got 11 foul ticks!
Clark: I got 20 eyes-closed strike outs, 5 broken windshields, and 6 dead birds! I'm freakin' awesome!

Rob Schneider, David Spade and Jon Heder, perf. The Benchwarmers. Dir. Dennis Dugan. 2006. Sony Pictures. DVD.

TIME:  2:50 PM
PLACE:  Driveway
SUBJECT:  Windshield chip

In the game of rock vs. windshield on Saturday, the rock ended up the victor.  As did the glass repair place this afternoon, where I handed them over a check for $40.  They repaired it by filling the chip with a resin.  It’s barely noticeable.  I figured I’d leave the insurance company out of this one…our rates will go up soon enough when DQ starts driving next year.

Slime Stained (276/365)

Lady Macbeth: Out, damned spot! out, I say!

William Shakespeare (1564–1616). The Oxford Shakespeare. 1914. Macbeth.
Act V. Scene I.

TIME:  11:59 PM
PLACE:  Bedroom
SUBJECT:  StellaDella’s stained hand

SD found a recipe for homemade “slime” in science experiment book.
She asked if I would help her make some.  The recipe called for a few drops of food coloring.  I had red, black, green, blue and yellow for her to choose from.  Can you guess what color she chose?

Rorschach Test (275/365)

“But my dear man, reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.”

Alan Watts (American Writer, Thinker and Interpreter of Zen Buddhism, 1915-1973)

TIME:  9:51 AM
PLACE:  County Park
SUBJECT:  Tree branch in lake & its reflection

We dropped the kids off at Sunday School, then HH and I played hooky.  We went out to eat breakfast, then stopped by a county park for some picture taking before we had to pick them up from class.  Later this afternoon - after MB’s soccer game and a parish Wurstmart early supper - HH and I abandoned left the kids in DQ’s capable hands and went to see a movie (What’s Your Number).  I don’t think we went to the movie theater by ourselves since December 2009.  Yes, we were selfish parents today.

Recycling (274/365)

Bart: Oh, recycling is useless, Lisa. Once the sun burns out, this planet is doomed. You're just making sure we spend our last days using inferior products.

The Simpsons, “The Old Man And Lisa,” Television, 20 Apr 1997.

TIME:  2:28 PM
PLACE:  Recycling Center
SUBJECT:  Crushed aluminum cans

After the soccer games (SD’s team tied…her coach called her the “Steel gate” in the goal and MB’s team won 5-2…he didn’t let any goals through during his time in the net either) and a trip to the grocery store, we stopped at the recycling center on the way home to dispose of the bag of aluminum cans I had in the back of the Jeep for the past 10 days.  We had 12 pounds and received $6.60 – woo hoo!  I didn’t get to keep the money for long.  I ended up relinquishing the cash to the oldest daughter as I dropped her off at a football game this evening.