A List of Things

Lots of bits and pieces today, so I shall present them in list form. First, because it’s customary, a photo:

– My Nikon’s battery ran out of juice today, which is why there’s a random photo of some flowers (from my front garden) with this post. I’m usually very good about keeping one battery charged at all times (I have two), but I can’t find the other one. So there were a tense few hours while it was charging, in which I ordered the world around me to cease doing photo-worthy things.
– On Monday, I told myself that if I crocheted a dishcloth every day for a week, I would have seven by the time Sunday was out. It’s Thursday evening, and I currently have four dishcloths. My math skills are still razor sharp!
– I’m putting together a binder to house all my many lists and plans and other household management type things — specifically, there are tabs for a calendar, spending, chore lists, tried and true recipes (that aren’t in cookbooks), recipes to try, projects, garden, and my wishlist. I repurposed a plastic pocket that belonged to an old datebook, and now I’ve got a good place to store my stamps and address labels. It’s ridiculous how good that feels.
– I’m going to cancel my cable television and gym membership. I haven’t watched television in two weeks, and I haven’t been tempted at all. Eighty percent of the time I turn it on, it’s just to have something going in the background, and I’m learning to live without that extra noise. As for the gym membership… I may rejoin in the winter, but I think the joining fees will be less than paying for these summer months. I’d simply rather get on my bike or take a walk than try to wrap my schedule around a gym class (or worse, use a stationary bike or treadmill!). If it’s raining and I need to move, I’ll do yoga at home.
– I made yogurt again! This time I started with six cups of 1% milk (last time I used skim) and wound up with five cups of yogurt, with only a little bit of whey skimmed off. That’s progress! I used the oven again, but this time I turned it to its lowest temperature (170F) and let it preheat for a minute every hour or so. It required slightly more attention, but the yogurt set more quickly and with better results. I’ve put a quart of it in a tub in the fridge, and I’m pressing the remaining cup to see if I can make quark — just a mini trial, obviously. Having done the math, I figured that the quart of yogurt (plus the quark, if it turns out) cost $4.
– Today I had a heel of bread with jam for breakfast, salad with falafel and tahini dressing, plus a nectarine for lunch, some carrots in the afternoon, and a piece of cake for dinner. It was a strange day for eating.
– I’m now going to read a book and then go to sleep. I keep springing out of bed in the morning much earlier than I would usually choose to. I just wake up and have to greet the world in a cheery, annoying, ain’t-life-grand sort of way. But it means that I get tired that much earlier too. So much for my rock’n'roll lifestyle. Ha.