going home and convenience foods

Yesterday I learned that the reason we arrived home from my parents' house last year at 2 am was because they have dew in the San Francisco Bay Area, and you have to let your canvas tent dry before you can pack it. I totally failed to learn that last year, so this year, I got up at six, started packing things, and then sat around and chatted for 3 1/2 hours while we waited for the tent to dry. Then we arrived home at 2 am. Also, gas last night in Needles, CA, was $3.79 per gallon, but twenty miles away at the top of the road to Lake Havasu, AZ, it was only $2.58. The people in Arizona have a handy sign in California so if you were to be practically out of gas in Needles, you'd do your level best to coast down to see them.

Now my husband has pointed out that Needles frequently has one of the highest prices in the country.

Today I may learn something else later, but what's really sticking with me so far is that you can buy 44 Ziploc® bags for $16. They have fancy vents in them so that you can steam your food in the microwave and they even come with recipes. Then, as the ad I saw demonstrates, you can throw the bags away.

So, for the cost of a glass bowl with a lid that you can use forever, SC Johnson, which has a FAQ assuring us that microwaving food in plastic is perfectly safe, would like you to buy a six-week supply of petroleum-based landfill decoration.