Shopping - April 29, 2025

For two weeks, I asked The Husband what he'd like to have for his birthday.

Last week when we were traveling, we passed the music store where we'd bought last year's birthday present, a(nother) ukulele.  We decided to stop.  He found an acoustic-electric uke that he thought he wanted until he discovered that it was a baritone uke.  (He already has a baritone uke.)  We left the store with only a set of autoharp strings.

I kept pestering him for birthday present ideas.  Eventually, he said he'd like to have a new grill, knowing there was no way in hell I'd pick one for him; the last time he wanted a new grill, he shopped and shopped and shopped before he found one that suited him, and I never quite understood his criteria.

So, yesterday morning, I went shopping for a ratchet.  A couple of weeks ago, I watched him take out bolts with a bit driver.  This past weekend, his plan to change the oil in the lawnmower was foiled by the lack of a working ratchet.  He might not have wanted a ratchet for a birthday present, but he needed one.

I ended up getting an automotive tool set in a zippered case.  It will fit right under his truck seat.  I threw in a new bit driver set and some man stuff for shaving.  

Maybe next year he'll give me a hint.  ;)

I did cook him a nice birthday dinner:  smothered pork chops, baked sweet potatoes, and corn on the cob.  

Between the shopping and the cooking, I worked on the wedding quilt.  The top right quadrant is now assembled and half quilted.  I'll probably finish quilting it today.  So far, I haven't decided whether it would be better to sew the two top quadrants together and then join them to the bottom half with a horizontal seam, or sew each top quadrant to a bottom quadrant and join the two sides with a vertical seam.  Either way, there's going to be a lot of bulk to handle for that final seam.  It might be easier in the long-run to hand-sew that final seam, as I did with The Granddaughter's quilt (which is still waiting for its binding).  

Today I am going to get some tomato plants to replace the ones that died, assuming I can still find some.