Random 5 for January 29 – Chipmunks, carpets, nightclothes, cards, politics

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chipmunkAn early brunch – January has been six degrees warmer than normal. Very unusual. This week I saw a chipmunk looking for sunflower seeds around the bird feeders. It’s early to see them out of hibernation and I haven’t seen it again. Maybe it was just a midnight snack. Next week is Groundhog Day. Damn rodent better not see his shadow!

Picking the right color – I have always wanted to match carpet color to the cats. Easy cleanup and no visible cat hair. We had new stair carpet installed last week. Cats like new stuff. They like to christen it. Almost immediately. Within three days someone barfed on it. The barf matched perfectly. (With the proper diet, barf is a warm neutral shade.) Win-win!

More like Mom everyday – On my last shopping trip I bought a new nightgown (which I didn’t need). When I put it in my drawer, I realized that I’m a lot like my mother. When she died, she had almost as much night clothes as she did day clothes. She had gowns that were still in packages, brand new. It must run in the family. Some families are afraid they will run out of food. We are afraid we will run out of night clothes.

Bargains – When my SIL broke her arm at the shoulder, she told everyone to not buy her cards. They are expensive and would get thrown out anyway. I had to buy a card this week and found one for 99 cents at a card store. You just need to look.

Gah – They have started political ads for our local mayoral race. *bangs head on table* I haven’t recovered from the last one yet.

So how was your week?

69 thoughts on “Random 5 for January 29 – Chipmunks, carpets, nightclothes, cards, politics”

  1. OUR January was colder than usual. I haven’t seen any chipmunks (not sure if we have them here) but I have heard jackals howling at night, from the end of the street, I think.
    Nightgowns – it’s really been so cold that I need flannel pyjamas. In summer, I shall go over to sexy silk nighties 😉

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  4. This is a sincere question, Kate. Do chipmunks actually hibernate? I’ve always wondered what they do in winter where there’s snow. I watch the squirrels in my yard hide acorns all over our yard beginning in fall, presumably on instinct, even though they will have access to food all winter. It is fascinating to me. So your comment about the creatures responding to your warmer winter is very interesting. And my grandmother used to save her beautiful night gowns, many of which we discovered unworn at the time of her death. I did think that was funny. Apparently you’re in the same camp. 🙂

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    • Chipmunks in our area hibernate although they also store seeds. They have a very nice condo under out screened porch. The squirrels do not. We see them all winter picking up under the feeders. I don’t know what rabbits do. We have those but not many and I don’t think they hibernate.

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  6. For awhile I was buying lots of aluminum foil… not sure why, but I kept thinking we were out. Then, my husband started buying agave every time he went to Costco for some reason. Fortunately, we’ve both come to our senses and are slowly working through our supply. As for as sleepwear, I don’t bother. A few hours into my sleep, I would pull them off anyway… too hot! But, what I save by not buying sleepwear I don’t wear, I make up for buying pretty scarves I don’t wear.

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  7. Funny you should mention chipmunks. Saw three in the park today scavenging. They are so cute, like squirrels but with more style.

    Love the night clothes paragraph. I hoard pajamas myself. Have all these flannel bottoms I get at J. Crew Factory…small mens. They are amazing. I do look a little like Andy Griffin in them, but they sure are comfy…and I think 3 dozen is modest enough, in case I want to stay in them for the rest of my life.

    Cards…she said, don’t send cards??? I live to send cards. My idea of a good time, is to go blow 20 bucks at a card store. Have a HUGE BOX FILLED. And yes, if you look, you can get some cuties for a buck.

    Your carpet tale reminds me of the writer Jean Kerr who said, she wanted one the color of Coca Cola when her kids were little…:)

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  8. Toilet paper (two ply) and paper towels (VIVA) are staples in our house always. I like silky, sexy nighties, but not so slippery that I fall off the bed! Being a cardmaker, I LOVE the idea of sending cards, however, when I am trying to sell my handmade masterpieces I dislike the comment “I can get that in the dollar store.” Not my card you can’t! I consider mine KEEPSAKES not just cards :). Politics – Every day is some new travesty. Hope you have a wonderful week, Kate!

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  9. What are night clothes? Hahaha, I do like Eileen West nightgowns and still wear the same style I did 40 years ago. But they are for lounging not sleeping, if you catch my drift. I have a wood floor and these great area rugs that are so good that any barf can just be wiped up (unless they hit the fringe, of course). I’m so glad the barf matched your carpet! What a relief. Now just don’t change the diet too much . . . .

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  10. Like Jill, I sleep in a t-shirt year round ~ long sleeved on the coldest nights. I usually have a profusion of pencils, pens, paper, stationary, journals, and GREETING CARDS for every occasion, some homemade.

    I buy most greeting cards at the $ Store ~ they buy leftover cards from Hallmark, etc. and sell them at a fraction of the price printed on the back. Either $1 or $0.50!

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  15. My mother had lots of nightgowns and pj sets. It must have been a thing back in the day, because I wear a mix & match of cotton tops and bottoms in a “whatever” fashion.

    No cards!!? I adore receiving greeting cards. Sadly I rarely do anymore because so many people have put out edicts like your SIL. I don’t get it, really. A greeting card in the snail mailbox is a smiling glance, a bit of kindness from afar. Is no one in our selfie world glancing toward anyone else anymore? I think I can answer that one… ;-(

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    • Despite her edict, she had a table full of cards. Sometimes it’s all you can do. Many cards are close to $5 but if you look around you can find one that fits your pocketbook. My mother and I are both nightgown folks. I wear them in a rotation and must have more than a dozen with some designated strictly for the summer. Maybe because it’s a purchase that doesn’t break the bank that makes it a perfect buy for those days when shopping is therapy.

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  16. We had carpeting the same color as our first dog! Made sense then, makes sense now! Unfortunately a kitten that we had marked that carpeting A LOT! Ewwww. It was very good carpet, but sitting in certain areas of the living room made my eyes water despite many shampoo treatments. Cats are gone, dogs are fine with large area carpets on the old hardwood floors that really need to be refinished.
    I am so done with politics and campaigning. I used to enjoy perusing Facebook, mostly seeing friends’ grandchildren and things like that. Now every other post is some political rant. I’m rooting for the federal judge who stood up to T (now I won’t even use the whole name) and I’m praying for impeachment.
    I will finally find some relief from much hip and knee pain, I hope, when I get to see the orthopedic guy I should have seen 6 weeks ago. Feeling mismanaged and didn’t know how to take the reins until recently.
    Have a wonderful week.

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    • I had issues with inappropriate peeing with Jake as he got older. I ended up with towels piled where he liked to go. We eventually got rid of carpeting in a small bedroom, put in a linoleum floor and made it the cat room. So easy to clean. We don’t have a lot of wall-to-wall carpet and I doubt if I would get it again. The area rugs are more fun and easier to replace. We have a large Syrian population in our area. People and churches sponsor families. Two families were blocked yesterday. They were flying in after 14 years of red tape. I’m not even sure they were Muslim as most of the locals are Orthodox. Our senator was on TV last night and he’s getting flooded with emails and calls. As for Facebook, I have learned to unfollow people who post stupid memes or nasty stuff. Good luck with your doc.

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          • Hubby took me out for a meal on Thursday. We shared a starter of garlic mushrooms, then I had chicken and a jacket potato whilst he tucked in to bangers and mash. But we both had ice cream sundaes to follow. We savoured them. My main concern now is that the slightly puckered skin on the underside bra line has started to itch! I’ve been given some spray to apply provided it remains unbroken which should help. All part of the healing process. 🙂 🙂

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            • Sounds like a wonderful meal! I didn’t have any side effects after the treatment until 2 years later when my rib cracked for no activity reason. It was very painful for a while. I’m 13 years out now and haven’t had any issues except for the occasional call backs for additional testing after a mammogram. That’s always scary but none showed anything unusual.

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              • I’d had mammograms before all this started. Luckily, I’d had one in Oct 2015, so they had something to compare it to in September. Other than the hot flushes with the meds, hard to control yearning for sweet stuff, redness round the site and my knee playing up (also likely to be the meds) I’ve been really lucky. I have an appointment to see God (at a hospital MILES away so I’m changing that tomorrow for the one I’ve had all my treatment in) in February, then it’s 6 monthly checkups and Mam’s every year. Glad to know you are still clear.

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  19. I guess it makes more sense to match carpets to your pets’ barf color than to their fur. When went looking for floor tiling, I pulled hairs out of all my pets and we did little tests in the store to see whether the hairs showed up or blended in. The salesman acted like he had never seen anyone do this before.

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    • The barf was a surprise. I picked the color because it was a neutral (just in case we sell the house) with a very muted pin dot pattern. It would hide Mollie’s calico hair but not so much the grays. I hadn’t realized it was the exact color of cat barf until it happened.

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