Goose, goose, duck!

Here's my new purse!

Okay, it's not quite a purse yet. I'll post pictures of the finished crocheted product(s).

I like the bright colors for summer. The purse should be easy to find in the dark.

I make my own purses because I can get exactly what I want. The cost of the 4 balls of yarn is just $7.50.

Rosey and I went to the "old" Walmart the other day to find some black socks (and the yarn for my new purse). A flock of Canada geese has inhabited the parking lot for the last decade or so. There are a few retaining ponds, and the traffic at the store is fairly accommodating to wildlife. The birds are definitely herd animals. If one starts walking to the other side of the parking lot, most of the flock is sure to follow. There will be a long line of waddling geese traversing the lot. Traffic pretty much comes to a standstill. This is especially fun to watch when the babies are small and fuzzy.

On this last trip, my daughter noticed an flock member of a different feather, speckled brown ones to be exact. Happily pecking away at the ground along with the geese was one lone female mallard duck. She looks tiny next to the geese. Is she an honorary member of the flock or simply happily coexisting? Did they adopt her? Does she think she's a goose? Points to ponder.

Low Income Life Experiment

I'm embarking on an effort to make my own laundry detergent. It involves bar soap, washing soda, and borax. Some people like to dissolve the ingredients in water, others just use the mixture dry. I'm going to try dry first.

Evidently you can make dishwasher detergent with just the washing soda and borax.

We've noticed that since phosphates have been removed from dishwasher detergent, our stuff isn't getting very clean. I've tried adding trisodium phosphate,and it does okay, but we hit upon something better. We put the detergent in the uncovered soap well, then fill the covered one with plain old baking soda. Our dishes are now clean, clear, and shiny. The silverware is looking better too. This is a wonderfully inexpensive solution.

I'll let you know how the laundry comes out and what recipes work best.