I'm running out of veggies so it's time for a shopping run this afternoon, but I have a pot of beans on the stove. Out comes the crock pot, and as and I fished out a wood cutting board to put it on I realized that while I got a lot of my basic cooking information and recipes from my Mom, I got a lot of my great gadgets and materials in the kitchen from my Dad. He had to start cooking for himself after they divorced, and he really built up a great kitchen. My siblings got some of the more charismatic devices, but I have a lot of useful odds and ends.

The beans smell great - I have some dried pinto beans from a while back that I added half again as many dried black beans to for this batch. I don't cook pinto beans often, these were here for something my son wanted to try, but I want more dietary oomph that black beans will add, and though I don't usually see types of beans mixed, I know of no reason why it can't be done.

Now that the beans are shifted I'll do a couple of yard things first before shopping - level the bird bath and put out one of the tall iron crooks and a bird feeder nearby. It's going in the front yard to keep them away from my garden, and near the window where I can watch them. I compared prices at Home Depot and at Wild Birds Unlimited - to buy the budget bag of Southwestern Mix at Home Depot with all of the seed hulls costs the same as buying a bag of patio mix hulled bird seed, when you figure how much of the seed is actually going into the birds. And there is a lot less mess if the ground isn't paved with millet and sunflower seed shells.

Preparing for cooler weather. It'll get here eventually.

SRS