Good idea, Alice. I always forget about making smoothies, though I have all of the ingredients I like here.

I found a 6' rope light at Lowes, so I've set up my step into the living room with a light again. The corner of my living room is where two halls come into the room (at 90^o to each other) and there is a step up into the halls. It really hurts if you stub a toe on one of those concrete steps. I have the light on a dimmer and a timer, so it isn't super bright or on all of the time. This also provides some light in the hall itself so from my room I can walk out to the hall without having to turn on any additional lights. It's around a corner so doesn't shine in.

I've turned off the power to a few things in my son's room. All of those little ready lights add up over time. We just had a good rain, hopefully breaking both the heat and dry spell we've had. The last water bill was pretty hefty (I did have neighbors water for a week, so maybe they used more than I expected). Perhaps fewer people and better weather will conspire to lower a few bills.

SRS