Herself: Thanks, y'all, for your words. While I agree that some of it is hormonal...not all of it is. 10 minutes after I forced her meds on her yesterday - *10* minutes - she was fine. Perfect. :bangs head: I think we're going to have to play with the meds next visit.....I have her on Evening Primrose to help with the mood swings, but it looks like the meds aren't quite up to the task. :sigh:

What I wanted to talk about yesterday: I have been trying to get SG a grill for years. He kept telling me no, we couldn't afford it. So, this year, I started in again.....and, of course (because, after all, we're down in income) he said yes, IF I got him one with an offset smoker. I think he thought I couldn't do it in our budget.....he forgot who he married. :lol:

Last Wednesday, we found a small one at Brookshire's for $150. Nice, just big enough for the 4 of us, but not -quite- big enough for a brisket and all the stuffs. He said that was exactly what he wanted, so I mentally filed it.

Thursday, the kids and I went to Wal-Mart. We went in thru the Garden Center...and I found a *larger* model for $30 more. I texted him a picture...he called me and asked all sorts of questions and I came home with it. :lol:

SG and Himself assembled it Friday, and SG has spent the weekend "testing" it out. :yum!: So far, we've had steaks, kielbasa, brisket, bacon....and today we'll try it as a grill and have burgers and dogs. All yummy - the brisket was a little too "hot", but that's OK - he did a rub AND a BBQ sauce, which was overkill. The bacon - Oh. My. Gosh - turkey bacon is a little bland, until you slather it with brown sugar and stick it in a smoker for 3 hours at 150*. :drool: Or 1.5 hours at 225*. (Yeah, we did 2 packages. Guess what we had for breakfast today? :lol:)

I'm broke for the month now - the grill and the hay did me in - but that's OK. He's smoked enough that we are set meat-wise for the next week (the brisket was 7 pounds, so we have TONS of leftovers!), and he's having a blast. We now have a cooking set-up for if we lose power - we're in Tornado Alley - without heating up the house (in the winter, the wood stove is perfect. In the summer, not so much.) (And yes, I *do* think about stuff like that. I'm pleased that SG is now starting to look at things my way, too - makes life easier!). He's offered to smoke/grill every weekend - I'm not complaining! Herself's birthday is coming up - we're having the annual pool party and cookout. This year? Brisket and burgers and dogs.....much better than the pizza we've been buying and serving (and cheaper, too - the local meat locker is *way* cheaper than the store, and the meat is fresh and better-tasting.)