I was just sitting here,

[IrishAyes]

18. Been frugal all my life. When my mother sent me out to the garden to gather something for dinner, I

always took a little jar with holes in the lid for a 'hotel' for the insects I'd gather as well. Those were my pets. Mom always told me they were gone the next morning because the bug fairy came to rescue them while I slept.

Know how I make winter bathrobes? From the fancy throws I bought the previous spring on sale for around $2-3 apiece. I fold them in half, and at the center of the fold I cut a slit through the middle third to fit over my head. The I make two tight stitches about 10" below the fold on either edge to give my arms plenty of room but keep the material from shifting around too much. $3, a pair of scissors, and a few quick hand stitches, there's your robe/poncho. I could attach a snug hood except I'm usually wearing a hoodie and sweat pants as well; what do I need with two hoods?

I could write a book. 5 years ago, several blocks from home, I was walking along and saw a 5'x5' picture window set out at the curb on trash day. It's double paned with beveled edges and has a wide, heavy wooden frame. I had to walk that thing home a few inches at a time, one corner, then the other, etc. My ambition, now that I have an affordable but expert handyman, is to do a watercolor of the Grand Canyon in opaque paints before having an opening cut for the window on the north side of the house where it really needs a window.