My blog is worth $192,508.14.
How much is your blog worth?
I came across this article today which gives a new deal for new members. It sounds like something which would make me actually get a membership. But I don't know if this is really on the up and up.
It's only open to new memberships and is 19.99 plus a free rotisserie chicken and a batch of cupcakes. This price is for one year.
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Yesterday Dale was finally able to take possession of an old Divco milk truck he'd been given by the owner of the Farm Fresh Dairy. It's a story many years in the making, but after a years long wait in a local barn and 4 years of renovation, the truck is better than new. The debate during the renovation years was what would we do with it when it was finished. We sure did not want that sitting out on our driveway in all kinds of weather and the garage is too small. Finally this past summer Dale wound a vehicle storage place not far from home and we backed it in there yesterday. It's big enough for us to use a good part of the unit for storing our Christmas Tiny Town buildings and lots of other things. So a win all around.
The original look
The people at Precision Restorations even saved the original side sign for him
Then he spent some time driving it around and then over the river to Collinsville. Now it is resting gently in its new home.
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We aren't planning on doing anything special this New Year's Eve except for watching TV and snacking. Tomorrow the same, Rose Parade, football and snacking. But...this just figures. I got up early to go to Schnucks to pick up some items and wouldn't you just know two of the main things I wanted were not available. Dale always likes shrimps on New Year's Eve and of course the fresh fish counter does not open until 10. I thought I was being smart to beat the crowds, but now I will have to go back. I also wanted Ore Ida hash browns and they were completely sold out. I tried Walmart Neighborhood Market on the way home and they were sold out as well. I don't know if I have the energy to try the big Walmart.
It's not a big thing in the scheme of life, but it's frustrating nonetheless. Life on holidays and during the endless pandemic. Food goes fast. Shelves empty fast.
Update after going back to the store. The fish counter was open and i got Dale's shrimp. It looks like the person manning this area is going to have a very busy day.
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At some point on Christmas day I lost track of my car key. Actually it was more likely Christmas Eve when I put it somewhere unusual and could not find it for two days. It was driving me nuts because my key is always in the same place. I used Dale's second set of my keys for a day or so, but that made me even more obsessed with finding mine. I went over every time I drove the truck from two days before Christmas. What gave me hope of finding it was that the few places I went, I got home. So the key must by here somewhere.
I got rather obsessive about using free time to comb the same places over and over looking for that key. I even looked in the garage. But nothing.
Then last night I sat down and mentally went over the past days and where I was and what I was doing. Nothing clicked until I finally turned my attention to Christmas Eve night. We went to our daughter's church in Webster Groves and for some reason I drove the truck. Normally we would have taken Dale's car, but mine was at the end of the driveway, much easier not to be moving them in and out.
My thinking about this had me take a closer look at the photo Lizzie took of all of us after church. There I was, holding my purse. I rarely carry a purse, seriously very rarely, but that night I needed to put my wallet and drivers license in as well as the car key. I jumped up and went to the hall closet and looked in the purse. Sure enough, there was the key!
All this nonsense had me not wanting to go through this again. After I told my sister about this, she sent a link to a remote key finder. I did nothing about this until this morning, it's been a busy few days. I went on Amazon an hour ago and ordered the Tile Tracker.
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This photo was taken in 2012 while we were at Ted Drewes getting our Christmas tree. Back in those days we always took Ferdie along. This year we stopped by Drewes and they were almost sold completely out except for some very small which felt weird. So this picture makes me smile.
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I have to admit it really bewilders me how many people went out and bought a Christmas tree really early. The lots are pretty much empty and it is still early December. Normally a person could get a good tree a couple of days before Christmas. Not this year. This morning we first went to Ted Drewes where we've often gone in past years. Their trees have always been great and fresh, but today there were few trees and those were small. I am taller than most of them.
So we headed for the Kirkwood Farmers Market and discovered this place had lots and lots of trees. So many in fact, it was hard to even decide. There is also a great Christmas gift shop with lots of sweets and fun items for sale. I could have stayed longer in that gift shop. Dale got some peppermint bark, though.
We got a really nice tree and were helped with the carrying and lopping off part of the trunk by a nice young man named Keaton. Dale asked him if he was a student and he said he was. He is studying acting at Depaul. We took the long surface streets back into downtown St. Louis and enjoyed seeing areas we have not been to in a long time. We were mostly on Manchester, part of Chouteau.
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So many things have been going on recently my head is swimming trying to keep track of things. Here are a few.
The Collinsville Christmas parade has to rank as one of the best parades in the St. Louis area. We were not able to go this year because of another commitment but the photos taken by various photographers show it very well. It is truly remarkable and the floats could be said to have been professionally built. The Collinsville Parks and Recreation Facebook page has tons of great pictures.
Christmas trees. We still have not gotten around to getting our tree and things are looking a bit bleak. Creekside Nursery in Collinsville put up a notice last night that they were down to, I think, 13 trees. So our plan to go there has been taken off the table. This morning we are headed to Ted Drewes where there still seem to be good selection and if that is not the case we will head over to the Kirkwood Farmers Market which does have many left. The Covid rush to buy things quickly is still going on.
Up until today, we continued having problems with our newspaper delivery. We've called and written I have no idea how many entities about being shorted our papers. This morning, a miracle! All 3 of the correct papers were in our front yard. Still on the late side compared to the past, but at least they are all here.
Like mashed potatoes but hate having to peel them? Well, here is a close second to all that work. Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes are excellent. We've been buying these a lot lately and never get tired of them. found in most grocery stores in a refrigerated section.
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For years we have subscribed to three daily newspapers-Post Dispatch, New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. This is because Dale is a huge newspaper reader who prefers this to going online and clicking links one at a time. He likes all the news spread out right in front of him in the old fashioned way. While at the seminary and for most of our latest time in Collinsville the papers were delivered early in the morning, usually by 4:30. When there was an issue with one or another paper not getting here, a call to the delivery service fixed this immediately.
Now it seems our long time delivery guy who was as reliable as the sun, must have taken another job and we now have a woman bringing the papers. This has nothing to do with her being a woman, but how she is actually delivering. It seems she is not an early riser because the papers are never here until after 7:30 or later, much later. And, almost very day she does not deliver all 3. Most of the time we get just one of our papers.
Last week we got a letter from her tucked into the paper sleeve giving her name and address and email. Great. But where are the other two papers? Same thing yesterday. So Dale took advantage of this new information and wrote her an email about the regular missing papers. He said he was very diplomatic. We shall see. It is now 7 and no papers as yet today.
Now 7:30 and Dale is at front door watching.
Update: It's 8:30 and the paper (singular) just got here. Where are the other two? Dale will be more than a little unhappy since we're paying for papers we do not get anymore.
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As a grandparent, this headline interested me. It gives advice to grandkids or their parents on what to get us for Christmas.
To be perfectly frank, none of these ideas are something we'd get much of a kick out of. Not to be rude, but kids, don't do this. Some of the ideas are:
Grandparents picture frame. "Nothing says happy holidays to a grandparent more than receiving a picture of their grandchild already in a frame", Nope, have those.
A scrapbook. Nope
Keychain set. Again nope
Grandparents coffee mug set. Oh man, we have way too many coffee mugs as it is.
There are more, but, honestly, we'd rather have wine.
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Seven years ago our next door neighbor sent me this photo on Facebook.
If you know our backyard history here in Collinsville you know we've had raccoons for years, plus a Golden Retriever. Our Retriever is now gone, but raccoons are still here, doggone it. The back of the photo looks similar to our deck as well.
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