I finally got the wrapping paper I need for my presents to the offspring. I also got a bunch of goodies for the assorted parties planned for the holidays.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It's also so we can find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. Members come here to check in. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
I even got real food actual groceries.
The week has been a bit faster than it felt like. I haven't heard from the grants analyst since Wednesday, so I think everything is as finished as I could get it. Now we have to wait on him getting it uploaded and ready for the electronic sign-off. I'm planning to find out what's going on on Monday morning.
Friday was payday. At this point, the only present remaining to get is for my secondborn, and since she never writes, she never phones, I have left a message on her voicemail that she'll get what she tells me she wants, but she'll get it after New Year.
It rained all Saturday. This made my payday errands more fun than they needed to be.
I got in my last chiropractic appointment of the year. Her son has apparently developed dairy allergies and a gluten intolerance (no, it's not celiac disease - they're pretty sure that once his body has recovered from the shock, he'll be able to eat things made with spelt flour). I gave her all kinds of tips - some of which she already knew, but she had never thought of using rice flour for cornbread (she says the only cornbread she's ever made came out of the Jiffy boxes) or for cookies. Or that corn flour can be used in place of wheat to make puddings from scratch (it cooks most like wheat of all the ones I tried). My favorite aunt has celiac disease - I've done much experimenting (and I only make cornbread with regular flour these days when I want to use it for stuffing - the rice flour version tends to make the dressing turn out soggy).
After that, I went to WinCo Foods and did my grocery shopping - and bought ingredients for some of the stuff I'm going to make for Christmas dinner. I will have to stop at the Safeway downtown and get cornmeal, but I have everything else I need now.
Then I went and made a serious stab at buying out the Beaverton Trader Joe's. That's where I get my coffee anyway, and they have lots of goodies suitable for parties no matter what time of year it is. That was where the wind blew hard enough that the elastic holding my hat on my head broke. I have some others, if I can find them.
From there, I went to the main Post Office to mail a package to my mother - and before I went in, I went the couple of blocks to my bank to initialize my new debit card (and get the money I needed to pay for mailing the package).
After that, I went to the Central Library and got my books on hold and turned the ones I had finished with in. Six in, two out. I think I'm catching up with myself. This errand didn't take long - I was in and out so fast, I didn't have to pay for parking. In fact, it took me longer to get out of the parking lot than it took to get out of the library.
I made it home by 12:30. Not bad for a holiday weekend. I had got some stuff that the offspring enjoy and I took it over to them. No, I don't need the car tomorrow. Three loads of dishes done.
Today, I may do a load or two of laundry. But that's it.