Is this a rerun?

I've packed away a number of nice wool slacks I bought 2 years ago, and slipped them under the bed. Maybe next year, maybe not. Life's too short at this end of it to sit uncomfortably. But I stopped at the Discovery Shop today and picked up two lovely, 100% wool, top brand, completely lined slacks for $4 each. Up a size. They are a little loose (a 10), but that's better than a tight 6 or 8. Upon examining one, I think it may have been one I donated last year. It looked awfully familiar.

I'm in an exercise class 3 times a week (new year's resolution), but if I have to do something I don't like, I'd prefer to walk. Too cold and too icy. My daughter who hates exercise even more than I do, is going great guns with the treadmill--she's up to 5 miles a day and has added weights. My SIL told me the other day that she's up at 5:30 a.m. When she was a baby she'd sleep 18 hours a day--should have known then she wasn't just a "good" baby. Although she was--huge blue eyes and big smile. She has a ton of health problems, and rather than add one more medication which would have to clear her liver, she decided the only alternative was exercise. She says she has much more energy now. I'm very proud of her. I have an exercycle in the garage that's about 15-20 years old and has maybe 100 miles on it. It used to be in the basement but it gathered laundry.

The vacuum cleaner's been making a funny whine. Today my husband was running it in the bedroom and called down stairs, "I think there's something wrong with the vacuum." (This morning he called up from the lower level and said, "The cat's thrown up all over everything. I have to go to the bank.") So I went up to investigate and took the bag cover off. Oh. My. Goodness. That poor little bag was bursting full, and returning last week's dirt to the carpet. So I scrounged around in the basement and found a new bag and replaced it. It's much quieter now and doesn't squeal when you don't make it work against itself. If your vacuum cleaner has been talking back, check it's little tummy.

About the cat. Yesterday I gave her a new, dry cat food--just for a treat--supposed to be good for hair balls. Oh, she loved it--has been making goo-goo eyes at me. Now, I didn't see any hair balls when I investigated, but I doubt there could be a single thing left in her tummy either. She's pretty small--not quite 7 lbs (although in the middle of the night on my head she feels much heavier) and from the looks of the laundry room, she's lost about half her weight. I'm thankful for small things--it was the laundry room and not the living room (white loopy rug).

I'm having guests for lunch tomorrow--soup and salad. I've made broccoli soup and corn chowder. I serve corn every chance I get because my husband doesn't like it (loathes it), so unless I have guests, or sprinkle some out of a freezer bag, I never get to have it. While I was at the Discovery Shop, I saw a great deal on some china (Mikasa) that was a dead ringer for my Syracuse, plus I liked the shape of the cups better. I was really tempted--but I don't really need 11 more plates and 7 cups.

There are two professions who need to go to a terrorist reeducation camp--urban planners and lighting designers. This morning in my very dim living room, one of the ceiling can lights burned out. Right over the couch where I was reading (it's a little like using a flash light under the covers). The trim piece on can lights end up painted to the ceiling, so you can't get to the bulb, plus it's like reading by spot light when they do work. Twenty years ago the city of Columbus rezoned downtown, taxed the people and gave tax breaks to retail and restaurants to build a "city mall." I don't think these "let's revitalize down town" ideas have worked--like creating pedestrian malls and forcing people to walk. It was a big success for about a year or two, but it was not built because of market forces, but by government fiat talked into it by urban planners. $116 million to build. Now they've decided to tear it down and make a park, at the cost of $165 million. I'm sure the next big "urban planning" will be multiple use, green something. And the rest of you will be helping, because I'm betting our mayor and governor, both Democrats, will be begging for bailout money. They've just let the last class of police recruits go a few weeks before they graduate and are discontinuing yard waste pick up. Brilliant. But let's spend money to tear down a mall and make a park no one will use because without police it won't be safe.

Local politics is the farm club for the guys who eventually go to Washington and spend even more money. Although some actually skip the local level, go straight to the state capital, for a term then to the U.S. Senate to do nothing for two years, run for President for two years, and then go to the White House.