My Thermo cube was doing a great job in 2021 until the power went out for 4 days, and I lost everything in the greenhouse. Now I have it in the garage and the heater set up so it turns on if it gets super cold. Holiday lights are all taken down, a good move because if the power were to go out in this upcoming cold snap the nextdoor neighbors plug my longest line into an unused bank on their generator. This removes the need to retrieve it from the tree light display out front. Potted plants that might suffer from 20o are in the garage now. Some potted plants out front are tucked up on the porch beside the back wall.
I have a test batch of the crispy pecans in the oven. They're a bit spicier with the fancy Worcestershire sauce, but I think that will be fine.
The guest room is ready in case the friend who usually stays with me decides that the bed at her daughter's house isn't comfortable enough. At 90 she doesn't mince words, so won't suffer a bad night's sleep. Being ready probably means she won't need it, but that's ok. (Her daughter's daughter and family moved out recently after finally getting their own place. Now there's a guest room again. This is a common story these days.)
Yesterday when I was shopping I realized I wasn't tempted by the bulk chocolate when I was buying pecans, but at the dollar store I looked to see what kinds of snacks were borderline in my low-carb diet. (Research - if a day comes when I really do need something to eat quickly, what do they have?) The point-of-purchase stand had really salty nuts, really salty jerky, tons of sugar, and then there are peanut m&ms. If I haven't eaten many other carbs during the day I could get away with those, but after all of these low-sugar months they were way too sweet. Savory snacks are more appealing - so this afternoon after the nuts are finished I'll also make another batch of the smoky gouda cheese and pecan spread. I use it with gluten-free crackers.
Amazon delivered some of the King Arthur gluten free flour to try, my first attempt will be making white sauce with lots of cheese to make a small batch of macaroni and cheese (with rice or chickpea pasta).