Long ramble: I spent my Wednesday in the hospital waiting room while Steve got his right rotator cuff repaired. He had his left one done in February, so we both thought we knew what to expect. The surgery was mechanically successful, but an anesthesiological nightmare in that the nerve block didn't work and he came to after the surgery with complete feeling in his shoulder. They quickly gave him some pain meds and another nerve block, but they made him nauseous and paralyzed that nerve that helps with breathing. After I drove him home, the nausea won and he "lost" the oral pain meds they gave him. We didn't know how much he'd absorbed, so didn't dare double dose him. He's been medicinally unable to catch up with the pain, but at least it's subsiding. It's been a yucky couple of days, and he's not really good at allowing me to help or at keeping his limitations in mind. I used the down time to communicate with the abattoir/butcher who's processing a pig for a neighbor and me this week. We'll get it next week and begin making pancetta, bacon, guanciale and sausage together again. It's become a fun fall ritual. We should be getting a whole lamb at the same time. Thank goodness for an abundance of freezer space! I bought a mac daddy pressure canner a while back and will be canning venison, rabbits, chicken and pheasants to free up some of this freezer space. With the exception of quality local bacon (because there's no way one pig can produce enough bacon to last a year) and occasional fish, I've stopped buying meat at the grocery store entirely in the last few years. I realized that I know enough people who raise meat in a way I'm comfortable with to stop supporting practices that I find unpalatable. It definitely changes the way I shop and plan menus. The flavor and quality of the meat we get from both small scale producers and hunting is noticeably better... and it ends up being much less expensive than buying a little at a time (from an unknown producer) at the grocery store. Time to plan a menu for the next few days. Looking for dishes that don't need a lot of cutting, and can easily be eaten with the left hand of a right handed person. :o)

thanks, tishtosh. I'll go find it -- I'm in your DH's uncle's group so maybe it's newbieproof :) And lyfia, may I ask where you live? Because there are plenty of *perennial* plants that yield edibles without much watering at all. It might sound weird, but it's really just as easy as planting, say, blueberry plants or whatever is native in your area, and letting them grow because they're adapted to the particular climate, and harvesting their fruits. It's a little something, and it's not something that yields fruits immediately, but it's sure worth it. We got a summer's worth of fresh blueberries for cereal every day (and then some) from our plants. Same with berry canes. They *like* to grow, don't need that much water, etc. *in our climate* So if you can tell us what climate you're in, area of the country, we can find out what plants are native and will pay you dividends without much investment. And do you get rain? If so, you can collect water from the roof downspouts in barrels (really inexpensive via craigslist - we got four that way) and use it to water your plants. I LOVE using harvested water :)

Don't/won't have cable/satellite and shows like this are a definite part of the reason. Haven't seen the shows but I've read articles about them and seen news blurbs about them. Now that stores are tightening up the coupon redemption policies they're starting to cry about it. I don't get many opportunities to get coupons. The Sunday paper doesn't warrant the cost. And I won't go driving to 10-20 stores to try to maximize them out. I will take coupons for occasional items and try to couple it with clearance prices or at least sale prices and if there's a store coupon to stack all the better but I don't use many coupons other than in the store flyer when I'm going there and there's something I'm getting anyway. I keep a pantry. I have way more laundry and dish detergent than I need but considering the cost, I have a couple year supply of each and have given away a lot. I also have given away brands in stock I'd rather not use to keep the ones I like and get for lil' or nil. For instance I gave away Ajax to keep Dawn and gave away Arm & Hammer to keep Tide that was next to nothing or less. I also know prices on a lot of frequently used items so if I'm at a store and see something on clearance or on sale, I'll pick it up. That does far more in reality for me than messing with too many coupons. And Aldi doesn't take coupons when I shop there. AFAIC, most of the time, coupons are more of a feelgood thing, giving the buyer the impression they're saving money, not unlike the clubco stores. Give people the impression they're saving money and they'll pay any price.

And another thing: elevation placement. The stuff they wish to move is placed at eye level (for the lady shopper). Its a little low for the average male. Knick-nacks and items that appeal to kids are on the lower shelves where they can grab and whine. This can backfire, so the more expsnive choclates are on higher shelves out of reach of toddlers. At my local store, they use automatied sprinklers to keep the veggies moist. A few seconds before the sprinklers turn on, a recording of thunder is played with the sound of falling rain to warn shoppers to stand back - the spray is about to begin. Over on the other side of the store are dairy cases. Motion sensors detect when you are nearby and a recording of mooing diary cows begin - that can be anoying. The store is laid out so that people arriving through the main entrance passes by the office. Usually, the owner or a trusted staff member is seated to see you pass by the open office door. They'll say "hello" to each customer as he/she enters the main shopping floor. Music is played over the intercom. Golden Oldies are often selected. In the late afternoon and evening hours whem shoppers are tired, the music selection changes to more lively tunes such as "76 trombones" and marches. This helps to put a bit of spring in tired clinetel's steps and keeps the masses moving.