This month's bill, happily, included a credit from the state's climate control program, which disperses fees collected from big carbon producers. The bill is a bit over half what I had been expecting it to be, so I might even be able to withdraw a few more bucks from the bank for groceries than I had intended. Or I could keep it on hand, just in case the weather turns very cold and next months bill is more than I'm hoping it will be. It's nice to have options.
I did manage to go shopping today, and to celebrate the lower utility bill I splurged on a frozen lasagna, even though it was only fifty cents off from its regular price. It's about the most luxurious item I ever buy, so I don't get it very often. I might not eat it this week, though, since I'm not sure I'll have a spare roll to make garlic toast with. Lasagna without garlic toast is like— well, it's like something that's missing something important, but I can't think of a good example right now because I haven't had dinner yet and my brain is weak.
I just noticed today that the dogwood trees across the street are already a deep, dark red. I missed the lighter red the leaves take on when they first turn their fall color. It won't be long before they are gone, and I'll have the bare, wintry branches to forget to look at. How distracted from things I've become of late! It's probably not just hunger that has my brain feeling sluggish tonight. The poor old thing is just wandering off on its own, and forgetting to tell me where it's going. It will probably forget to tell me where it's been when it gets back, too. Assuming it returns at all. Eventually, I'm sure, it won't.