I have had a busy day. Lots of traffic at the office. I like it when my customers come prepared with necessary paperwork. I like it even better when my coworker leaves early.

So, Food City tried to rob me today. They wanted $12.99 (or was it $13.99???) for a 24 pack of Mountain Dew. I am not that desperate and I pass Dollar General on the way home, just like everybody else in the south. Granted, it isn’t a shopping experience without hazards, and I do feel the need to bathe in hand sanitizer and get a tetanus booster upon leaving, but you can save quite a bit of money there if you’re in the market for certain products. Well, today, it was Mountain Dew. You could get three twelve packs for $13.98, then download their digital coupon for two more dollars off. So that’s precisely what I did, quite happily. Take that, mega conglomerate. Do better.

Here’s a lesson in southern cookin’. If the recipe calls for olive oil, use bacon grease. If it says butter, double it and salt it. If they start talking portion size, assume they’re stingy Commies and you should prolly make a double batch. There is no substitute for lard. You can almost always add some vanilla to any dessert to improve it. I’m just sayin’, is all. Don’t blame me if you’re still hankerin’ for a double cheeseburger after you make something out of the Joy of Cooking or some such nonsense. I made Brussels sprouts in the air fryer again tonight, and lemme tell you, Blackhorse will not see another dollar of my money for theirs. Theirs are really good, don’t get me wrong, but now I know how to make them and I bought a big jar of hot honey (“fiery sweet”, it was called) at the Buc-cee’s the other day.

The wind is positively HOWLING. I’m glad I’m not a little songbird. I bet it’s frightening living in a tree and feeling like you’re gonna get blown into next week. It’s bad enough in this house listening at it.

Well. Early day tomorrow and I need my beauty sleep. And I still gotta wash my hair. I hope y’all have a restful night. Hope you have a dog to cuddle. Hope you have food in your belly and a soft place to lay your head. And I hope you have a good book to read, because I didn’t quite cut it tonight. I’ll keep trying, if you promise to keep reading.

Love from Appalachia,

~Amy