Don’t forget cicadas!

I love chipmunks! Such a big squeak from such a tiny body, plus I love their pointy tails :)

Yup I live right near the Brandywine. PA gets beautiful fall colors! They’re also great along the Delaware up near the Water Gap (but I’m biased because the Delaware is my favorite river) :)

That’s strange, I grew up in NJ and our roads tend to be well maintained. It was kinda shocking when I moved to PA and the roads had way more potholes and skinny useless shoulders!

The movie version of A Clockwork Orange was based on the American version of the book, which left out the entire last chapter. In that chapter, at 18 years old Alex pretty suddenly grows out of his violent and criminal ways and wants to start a family. Some say this ending is more optimistic but I actually think it’s darker, because it shows that any normal person you meet might’ve at some point been a wanton brute reveling in the chaos and pain they so arbitrarily inflicted. And that they can just move on and start living like a normal person.

Some thoughts:

• Buy in bulk - if you compare unit prices, you’ll see the bulk version is usually cheaper
• Make your own snacks - e.g., granola is pretty quick and easy to make at home
• Try Aldi or Lidl
• Give generic versions of things a try - a lot of the time they’re pretty close to the ‘real’ thing
• Things that are convenient are usually more expensive. Just looking online quickly, I see the big tub of old-fashioned oats is $6.39 for 30 servings (=21¢/serving), vs a box of instant oatmeal at $3 for 8 servings (=38¢/serving). So to save money, choose the less convenient version.
• Plan your meals before you shop, and pick up only what you need - this helps avoid impulse purchases

We’re 47 and 43, living in an exurb of Philly, and we cook at home 95% of the time (=20/21 meals weekly) and eat out once a week. Since it’s summer, we grill a bunch of protein and veggies - chicken, turkey burgers, and salmon, plus squash from our garden - every 5 days or so, and use that as a base for our lunches and dinners. That way each individual meal is quick to throw together and we’re not spending a bunch of time cooking every night.

When we were young we did a lot of eating out and delivery, and I wish we hadn’t. Not to harsh your mellow, but restaurant food is mostly terrible for you. Loads of fat, sodium, and sugar, and often doesn’t meet your micronutrient needs (depending on what kind of food you’re getting). Cooking at home can be way healthier. And also better for your wallet!

Lanternflies are so pretty! But there are so many of them again this year.

The bag is meant to be purchased as a unit. If you open the bag, the lemon inside won’t be labeled for individual purchase (no sticker with a code to ring it up at the register), plus now you’ve ruined the bag so nobody else can purchase it.

Rubberized coating does that eventually, especially if the ambient humidity is high.

I named my Mustang Sally.

Solvable problem. You just need a turkey baster.

No, of course I don’t expect that. But it’s a nice thing when it happens.

Thank you for doing that - such a simple and kind thing to do!

You hope that men will recognize that this is a space not meant for them (which is often explicitly stated in the post body) and respectfully not comment. And those men that do comment but are respectful get politely asked not to comment again. And those men that comment and are rude or disrespectful get banned.

And some men do fly under the radar but a surprising number feel the need to start their comment with “As a man…”.

Thanks, I’ll have to check that out next time I’m in the PA Wilds!

Have you been to Cherry Springs? The stargazing there is really amazing.

I keep my house very clean, and when the weather allows I open windows to let in fresh air. I also have reed diffusers throughout my house to add a little scent. IMO the key is to choose one scent for your whole house so that it smells cohesive, and to choose a scent that is mild, not too artificial or overwhelming. Right now I’ve got the Life in Lilac diffusers in Peppermint Bliss and they smell great. All I have to do is flip the reeds once a week.

You might also be going nose blind to the febreze plug-ins if the scent is disappearing after a couple of days.

Oh my goodness he’s so cute!! I bet he loves his Lamb Chop!

Agree with all three! Also the Laneige lasts forever, It’s what, 25 bucks? But it’ll last over a year.