My pile is too high

By Elizabeth Prata

My pile has gotten too high. It drives me crazy. Since I live alone I have no one to blame but myself.

We all have a junk pile, things we don't want to deal with immediately but have to be dealt with eventually, and we throw it on the pile. Mine is in the kitchen on the printer in the top shelf of the bookcase. When I sit at the table to eat or write, it's staring me in the face. This is by design, so that I cant/won't ignore the 'need to deal with' papers and stuff ... stuff of life, I guess.

This morning I moved the pile to the counter, and I'll take care of it today, sigh. The jewelry is on top because I broke the necklace. When you wear extra long necklaces, they catch on things. This one caught on the corner of the shopping cart (OK Southerners, "buggy") and one of the links broke. It's my favorite necklace so I will fix it. It won't take long.

I'm going to finish my coffee and search for a casserole recipe of some kind. It's cold today so using the oven will give me a double comfort level, warming the kitchen AND good food coming out. I think for food prep I'll do a lentil soup for next week. I've had my favorite chicken soup for lunches two weeks in a row so I'll switch things up and make the lentil again.

I'll also do a casserole, hopefully I can find a few-ingredient casserole using stuff I already have in the cupboard. I'll make some hummus, and I also have green beans and tofu. That will become a stir fry with rice noodles and soy sauce. I have eggs and potatoes and greens so Eggs Florentine with home fries will figure in there at some point. I also still have some spaghetti squash and combined with stewed tomatoes will also be a hearty dish, especially if I add eggs and cheese to it. There really is more in the fridge and cupboard than we think.

We are at the last week of a loooooooooooooong six weeks. Our school district's usual method of salary schedule is one paycheck per month. In a blessing, we get paid before Christmas break, but that means we receive our December paycheck almost 2 weeks early. The next paycheck comes at the regularly scheduled time of the last day in January, making the time between paychecks 6 weeks instead of four. It's a skill to make your 4 weeks' salary last for six! Phew will I ever be glad for next Friday. Meanwhile, I'm stretching the fridge and cupboard to make healthy food without having to go to the grocery store again until payday. If I do not go to the grocery store out of habit and look with fresh eyes at what I already have, there really is enough, more than enough.

Meanwhile here is your daily Murray:

He flopped down in front of the gas fire. Bert used to LOVE it here. He loved it there so much I put his kitty bed in that spot and he lazed in it all winter, enjoying the burst of warmth coming from the gas heat. Cats are no fools, they know where the best comfort is!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone :)