I decided that some of the things in the garage for an eventual garage sale weren't worth holding onto, so they've now gone to Goodwill, and I did spend time in the thrift store, picking up a couple of items to sell on eBay.

That same run included library and shopping and my last stop was at the city park department's free mulch site. I had a heavy duty trash bag and several bins to fill. I used to get a lot more at a time with the pickup, but even these modest amounts are helpful. The site is only a mile or so away, so there isn't much fuel involved (no point in driving a long way to get something free if you can buy it nearby and break even).

It's raining this afternoon, but since they are small storms that pass over every so often, next clear spell I'll take some newspaper out and pull weeds, put down several sheets of paper, then spread mulch on top, to make the paths through the garden. I use a different type of mulch right up against the crop plants (a home-chipped hardwood mulch).

Also, I picked up a couple of air-tight glass storage containers. I've gradually built up my supply of those, glass or acrylic with silicone ring gaskets, because I find the dry foods I keep here will last longer in a sealed container instead of in the original plastic packaging with a clothespin or rubber band keeping it closed. Now that it's mostly just me here, I don't use noodles, rice, various types of flour as fast, so they need to be stored in a way they stay fresher longer.