Need a Thrifting Solution

I admired these ten little ceramic jars when I visited my daughter's house. And guess what? She all but threw them into my hands. Seems she bought them at a yard sale and couldn't think what to do with them. The person selling the jars had bought them and never could find a use. Who knows how far back this goes. But I know that everyone reading this blog is very clever and will be able to think of lots of uses.

Here's a pad of post its to show the size of each jar--with the ceramic lid removed. Yes, we could fill them with spices. But no one has done that. I have a feeling that this is one of those "true" white elephants. So put on those thrifting caps and come up with some ideas. the metal container can be attached to the wall.

On a more personal note. My husband no longer has the traveling job he hated. In fact, he is driving the company car packed with 14 cartons of business stuff to New York as we speak and returning by plane late tonight. We have 18 months of Cobra coverage for health insurance and I guess we are venturing into the unknown land of "too soon to be retired -- so experienced that we are perceived as a threat" when seeking new employment. The library has graciously given me another 5 regular hours. Now I have 1o. So we'll have money for food. I'm joking. At least I hope I am.

The town where I live is very much a "no benefits" town. They keep the hours worked just below the benefits required guidelines. So work is out there. And lots of people are working two and sometimes three jobs to get 40 hours per week. And going without any medical coverage. We have casually talked about moving to a state with more population and therefore lower costs. My friend in Georgia can get full medical and prescription coverage for $480 a month from a private company. It is $1500 a month here in Maine, with a huge deductible.

But everything in Maine costs too much. Rumor has it that prepaid heating oil will cost $2.69 this winter. That means the cash price will be close to $3.50 a gallon. People on fixed incomes had trouble this winter at $2.89. We can only hope we have another mild winter.

On a more cheerful note. Last month I managed to find a sectional sofa and set of dishes new homes ( I got several hugs -- tearful hugs). This month another set of dishes is going forth into the world and I am getting a delicious rhubarb custard pie. And I still have four or five sets. I'm also thinking of sending one of my overstuffed chairs out into the world. I'm going to try for a more streamlined look around here and "less" stored in the attic. When we moved here 15 years ago, the place echoed--- it was so empty. Now every surface and space is full. I feel like I'm wearing a too small sweater. I want to rip it off and breathe.