Crop Production?

I think it was "her." I think she was using her husband's work cell phone. She may have been trying to call me this afternoon and didn't get an answer. Caller ID, don't ch know. Actually, I was out of the house shopping, therefore not able to answer the phone...Duh.

I bought five new boxes of shelf stable milk and put them in the freezer. That gives me about eight qts. I know I will use some of the milk up, but it is nice to have on hand for cooking and doesn't take up space in the refrigerator. At $1.00 per box the price is better than a 1 qt. container at the regular grocery store. My really big purchase of the day was for a "flat" of peaches, which isn't all that much. I want to put peaches in the freezer, too. Right now, the peaches are in the front seat of the van. I will bring them in in the morning.

My arm is very stiff and hurts a wee bit; I don't know why because I didn't carry anything heavy. Maybe because the air is so hot and humid?

In the morning I hope to go and get several loaves of bread to stash in the freezer, also. I can get white bread at Wal Mart for $1.20, but I don't eat that gummy stuff that sticks to the roof of your mouth. If it weren't so blasted hot I would bake some "good" bread. I am glad I cooked that chicken yesterdays before the humidity shot up again. The coming week will not be a good week for cooking anything. I set the a/c down to 72 and may set it lower yet.

Beverly...do you have any good recipes for preserving peaches? Anyone?

End

Chicken in the (roaster)pot

I sort of threw this together and it has everything in it. It has protein, starch and vegetables. It may not pass Chief Gorden Ramsey's(food network)plating standards, but it tasted pretty good to me.

The dressing is about half rice and that tasted good, too. This the first time I have had the oven on since the new air conditioner went in the window. The kitchen stayed reasonable even though it got a little warm: it was nothing uncomfortable. And yes, I ate the whole plate full of food. I have plenty left over for another meal or two...maybe three or four, but I like it so much!

The mice are eating the bait I put out. It says on the box to keep putting the bait out for 15 days. I hope it works well without a strange smell permeating the whole house.

My electric bill was just under $85.00. I guess I have run it up by using two air conditioners and several fans. In this heat it is necessary, but I will be glad when I can cut back a little.

Some are saying that we will have an early frost and winter because the bugs are singing early and there are black woolly worms crawling about. I know the tree frogs have been vocal for the past month.

I need to go get some kerosene for my oil lamps and some kerosene for the kerosene heater. I keep putting it off, but I should do it soon. As the summer winds down, the prices will inch up, just like gas does in good weather and around holidays.

The grass needs to be mowed again. It has needed it since Wednesday. I mowed on Saturday. It has really grown fast, even without rain.

If you have been following the news you will see that there are a lot of wild fires in Russia, just like in California. The reports are that the fires and droughts will cut into the Russian grain crops. The Russians have been half starved for generations and will probably deal with shortages better than we would. I also read that we are importing much more than we are exporting. We don't have grain to export-it is mostly gone. Glenn Beck should touch on this. This is basic. When Americans get hungry Congress better hide their false bravado and "good times are here again" songs. Wasn't it Roosevelt who made a speech saying that there would be a " Car in every drive way and a chicken in every pot?" The only thing that ended the Depression of the thirties was WWII. Lets hope we don't go that route again. I...put the chicken in my pot.

END....P. S> I think I will make drop dumplings with the juices-liquid...yum.

No El Nina-darn it

I'll be glad when this extreme weather takes an extreme dive into the southern equator where it belongs. I guess because we don't have an El Nina this year to steer the winds and rain, we are blessed with El Hoto. Or something of that nature.

I swear I'm gonna yank the phone right off the wall one of these days. I feel like I am living a daily Inquisition or a daily "Oh, Poor Me' episode. Please , god of all phones, spare me of the several calls per day of "Well, what are you doing?" I wonder if I can block a caller without the person being aware of it...sigh.

I went back to the store and this time I got some Rat Bait which is also kills mice. I didn't want to use it because dead mice have a tendency to get into walls and die and stink up the house. I have to do something as everything else I tried didn't work.

I still need to go out and get a few items. I wish I could do everything in one trip, save gas, and stay in where it is cool. Tomorrow is supposed to be hot, but with lower humidity...just for one day. Maybe I can get a little trimming done in the yard.

I bought dressing to stuff my chicken with. It is a box dressing, not like my mother used to make. I will add to it and tweak it a little bit. I will mix in a little rice and some stir fry vegetables. Not too much, but just enough. Then it will be pretty good. As my mother got older she also resorted to the box dressing, but she could make some really good stuffing from scratch.

Not a very active, interesting day. Maybe I'll see a waterspout tomorrow or something.

END

Another boring post

I finally...finally got a much needed hair cut today. I've been putting it off so long I am starting to look like a shaggy mutt.

I didn't get much done today. I need to get bread and milk, but put it off for tomorrow.

I stopped a junk store/flea market and found an old cast iron dutch oven with the lid. I have priced them new at $50.00. This one cost me $20.00 plus tax. I know I probably should have saved my money, but I have looked for one for a long time. As soon as I get it cleaned up and looking good I will post a photo of it. It is still in the van for now.

I stopped at Shonney's for lunch. The chicken was so oily that it gave me indigestion. It tasted good, just too oily. The reason I stopped there is because I had to go to the bathroom and I was hungry at the same time. I'll bet I went to the bathroom 20 times or more in the space of about four hours. It was either the b/p pill or that strong instant coffee. That is why I didn't get much shopping done. I gave up and came home. Where did all that fluid come from?

It continues to be hot and humid, in the 90's and no rain. I think I had one drop of rain on my windshield.

There isn't much new unless I mention that I continue to get phone calls that take up my time and have no merit. Even though I told so and so that I would be out-not home-so and so keeps right on calling, usually several times a day. DRAT!

END

Atlas Shrugged

Well, I accidentally deleted an entire, long post about a book I got from the library. I spent about 45 minutes writing it. I don't have the ambition to rewrite it. I wonder is anyone else does these stupid things.

End

Coupons

I have been thinking about coupons. I go through the coupons that are offered locally and those that are sent to me. What I find to be predominant is fast food coupons, household and hygienic products of one kind or another. Generally, most of us do not need these items that often. It takes a little time to use up a bottle of bleach or lotions to beautify my skin and brighten my teeth. What I look for is coupons for food or grocery items. These are becoming scarce. Good sales on meats are hard to find where I live. The few good coupons I do find are often items that are to close to expiration dates and who wants meat that is close to turning over in its' protein grave? Not me. Once in a while I will find meat that has been repackaged and relabeled. It will be bright red on top and brown on the bottom side. So, I buy most of my meat frozen, but oh, how I wish I had some good coupons for meats.

The ad that came out in local flyer had chicken drumsticks on "sale" for $1.19 a pound. It doesn't take a lot of drumsticks to make a pound and you had to buy three pounds minimum Your buying mostly bone and while I like drumsticks it isn't the best of bargains. So, the store gets to keep its bargain meat pack. I would rather buy the whole chicken 'though I don't need to at the moment. I just pulled one out of the freezer to thaw out and cook in a couple days.

Tomatoes were advertised for $.99 cents a pound. One good tomato can weigh a pound. If a family buys four tomatoes for a one meal...there is four bucks right there. I don't know how much it cost to feed a family of four on just one given day, but it can not be cheap. I hope everyone has a good job or a good income because it gets worse by the day. Gasoline just went up to $2.75 a gallon. I suppose that is "George's fault," too, according to "You Know Who." I only know that things are getting harder and more expensive. Good coupons are scarce and I continues to shout "STOCK UP!

I put about eight small bags of corn in the freezer. I still have a few ears of corn to pick, but it sure wasn't a bumper crop. I still have a few beets to pull/pick and most of the potatoes to dig. Nothing in the garden has done as well as I had hoped for. Again, the promise of rain; not a drop in sight.

I cleaned out the bird bath last evening and put fresh water in it. Oh, happy birds! It's hard to keep water in it as they splash it all over and out. It isn't automatic and I have to carry the water out and fill it just about every day except when, and if it rains. I noticed the birds are perching on the corn stalks. I hope the are just eating bugs and not the tops of the corn ears. I think they are doing a little of both.

The screen of my computer just went black. I didn't lose my post, but I am having the same old security problems and I think someone(s) is riding piggyback on my w/f. So, it is time to quit.

END- GOOD COUPON HUNTING!

Hot Diet

I'm on a summer "hot" diet. It's called "too hot to eat." It's too hot to cook. I don't wanna. It's too hot to go out to eat. I would have to get into a very hot. I don't wanna. So, it's lunch meat sandwiches diet. Not the proper way to eat, I'm sure, but it to will pass. Soon, I hope.



I could cook. I have food to cook, food in the freezer, food in the pantry, and whenever it cools off I will do the chief thing and fire up the stove or oven. Not right now, though. It si just too, too warm and I don't wanna be uncomfortable.



I went as far as the door to get the mail and came right back in. I got a refund check from the hospital for overpayment. I was in the hospital a year and a half ago. They sent me a $15.00 refund. I got a $10.00 refund from Bank America. What does that say about their accounting and bookkeeping? No wonder we are all broke.

So, I get to spend the "extra" $30.00 dollars on any frivolous item I want, right? It's "found" money, right? Well, lets see. I do need a haircut. I used to do it myself, but now I can't get my right arm up and behind me head to snip away. I need a tank of gas, too. Or...I could buy more frozen vegetables to put in the freezer. Now, here is a plan. Lets see. Ten dollars for gas. Ten dollars for a haircut and ten bucks for frozen veggies. Your right. $10.00 bucks for a haircut isn't very much. The beautician caters to the older ladies on S. S. With a two dollar tip it,s a little better. So, I don't feel too guilty about a cheap shearing and I get shorn.



Even though tomorrow is Sunday I hope it is cool enough to finish mowing the lawn in the front. It won't take long and the weather for the coming week will be very hot, also, so I want to get it done. I don't know if I can get my summer garden in, due to the heat. We shall see.



Well, it's time for a cup of tea and to go back and sit in front of the air conditioner. I'm off! And plodding.



END

Heat

Extreme heat. Extreme humidity. High temperatures. High index figures. Mow the grass. Extremely drenched-soaked with sweat. Drank lots of fluid.

I had not intended to mow the yard, but tomorrow-Saturday-is supposed to be even worse. The weather man says it will rain on Sunday and we will go right back into the cook pot on Monday. The grass really did need a haircut. I got the back yard done in increments of five minutes behind the mower and five minutes in the chair. The front yard is not mowed, but I will get to it...maybe.

I was shucking corn this afternoon. Some ears were poorly formed, some were very small and some ears had no kernels at all. I was thinking that if the commercial farmers were having bad crops of corn like the corn I grew, there will be a shortage in the fall. I avoid chemicals on my garden so maybe I am to blame for such a poor showing.

I am saving the shucks and cobs to put in the smoker. The ashes I will put on the garden. I will do the same with the corn stalks. I do know that some ashes are good for a garden and will help return nitrogen to the soil.

My small Cherry tree that was planted last year and was doing well, suddenly died. I thought the kid next door might have hit it with the weed whacker, but yesterday I took a better look at it and found some kind of wet, mouldy growth around the graft. I have never seen that on a tree before. I will have to cut it down with the lopper and burn it. I should have guessed the kid next door didn't do it because he is not taking care of his own yard and all his weeds are growing through the fence and into my yard.

I had a late lunch or early supper, if you will. I had fried bacon and eggs with home fried small potatoes. You will say "CHOLESTEROL!" and I will say, "it sure was good!" No one lives forever and if you have to deprive yourself for a couple extra years on the calender...well, I would rather be happy and well fed while I can enjoy it.

I think I may try dehydrating some green peppers and see how that turns out. Let you know later.

END

Corn and rabbits

I have no melons-cantaloupe-in the garden. The reason is dat pesky widdle wabbit has been eating the blossoms from the vines. The blossoms would appear and then disappear. The plant itself would not be bothered: just those tender yellow blossoms that tasted so good to dat wabbit. Somehow I have to get rid of dat wabbit. I do have a trap that Chuck made for Woodchucks. I'll have to figure out how to set it. If I catch it I will start a wabbit farm!

I picked off a bag of corn this afternoon. I can pick off another bag tomorrow. The corn didn't do well due to the lack of rain, but I will have some. I am disappointed because of the time and work put into planting the corn. Well, that is the nature of gardening. You take what Mother Nature allows. I may get some at the Farmers Market, but their corn is overpriced.

I think I am about done stocking up for winter. I may get a few things yet and freeze some things from the garden. It will be enough for me-one person. Let the cold winds blow and the sky drop snow; I will stay in when Father Frost comes knocking on my door and rattling my window.

With all the rain we have had in just the last few days, the grass has really grown and needs to be mowed. Today was not a day to mow as the temperature was 95 F. and it is supposed to be 98.F tomorrow, Saturday.

I set two mouse traps this afternoon. I feel like a big game hunter after the prize. The only problem is that the prize is pretty smart. I set a trap yesterday and the Mousicus Gianticus got the bait-icus and made me cuss-icuss-sort of. In other words mouse one, me zero.

Remember the story about the ant and the grasshopper? That's me; the ant!

END

Loading up

I'm loading up the freezer. There is some room to spare. Corn will go into the spaces left. I am always looking for food/vegetables to cram into every nook and cranny. The more that goes into the freezer means the less I will have to go out for in the winter.

The has been a terrible day for using the computer. I have been told that I need a security of "11," but I don't' know how to do it. I have a Blacken router and when I called for help I was online with a guy from India and I just could not understand him. So I struggle with my computer being messed up on a daily bases. Letters end up all over and sentences jump all over and everywhere. When the weather is bad it is even worse. I'll be glad when all the kids go back to school and are off line. I am almost tempted to go back to dial up.

Because of the constant and random misplacement of letters, fragments of words and even the cursor being all over the page, I am cutting this post short.

END

Blogging isn't easy

Blogging isn't always easy. Sometimes you are inspired; most of the time...not. Thinking and posting every day except on Sundays requires a lot of perseverance and sometimes makes your brain smoke. A lot of bloggers have given up, fell by the "roadside," recycle old posts or have "guest" bloggers submit material or post for them. After a while it is like reading the same material or ideas over again and over. Remember the old adage, "There is nothing new under the sun?" There isn't a thought or idea that hasn't been thought of before or written about. It is hard to bring new, fresh ideas to a blogging page. Nope, blogging isn't always easy.

I FINALLY went to the store and got the things I forgot to get last week. When I left the house the humidity was bearable. When I came back the humidity and heat had ramped up a lot. It jumped from the mid 80's to the 90's in about an hour, as soon as the sun showed it's face. Perspiration was pouring of me like rain. I don't like to sweat. From the van to the front door was like a sauna. I got the food into the refrigerator quickly-as fast as I could, and settled in by the a/c. Ahhhh.

I replenished my "go bag" and found a few things to add to it, such as a can opener and fresh chocolate. The chocolate went into a sealed canister where it can't be violated by Mickey and Minnie...or unless I decide to indulge my sweet tooth. I will try not to.

Do YOU have a "go bag?" Have you considered preparing one? It maybe that you will never need it or use it, but you just don't know. I don't mean just an overnight or week-end bag. I am referring to a bag that you can rely on for tough times and give you some sense of security. In a bag like this you need extra medication and/or prescriptions, food and water. Think about Katrina. We older readers would be especially vulnerable and would be the first to lie down by the curb side. Or the first to be preyed upon. If you do have some preparations never tell what you have and where you have it unless it is someone you trust with your life's blood.

The one thing that I keep repeating and re-posting is that you need to stock up just as country people and farmers did 50 years ago. If the car won't go...you won' go...unless you have a horse or a bicycle. Even if you can get there from where you may be, shelves may be bare and empty. Don't look for Uncle Sammy to ride in on a big white horse and save the day. Uncle Sammy is just too big, bloated and on life support. Uncle Sammy will save himself first...so YOU save yourself first.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, I guess I will be staying in due to the heat and humidity and muddy garden. I may go to the Goodwill Store and see if they have any Goodwill...or bargains.


END

Mouse in the house

Mice like chocolate. How do I know? They got into my "Go Bag" and chewed through several packets of chocolate drink envelopes. I put out another sticky pad and so far all I am catching is spiders. I need another war plan for mice skirmishes. Me against the little invaders.

My "Go Bag" is a bag I keep on hand in case I have to vacate quickly due to weather or unforeseen circumstances. For instance, I don't live that far from the railroad tracks. Not that near either. Or consider the storms that brew up blackly and knock out power or even worse, a tornado might come whirling, twirling and tearing asunder. I first put together a "Go Bag" after the Blizzard of '77. I keep a smaller version of the bag in the van. Ya never know when you might need a clean pair of undies or dry socks!

Anyway, I was going through my bag to update it, add to or take away from it. and discovered that a mouse had eaten through and ruined the chocolate mix packets. I check the bag fairly often and it is a good thing I did before the mouse/mice do any more mischief. I now know what to use for bait on mouse traps. CHOCOLATE.

We finally have rain. Tons of it. I was out this afternoon and it came down in a mighty gush and the wind was blowing it sideways from different directions Fortunately I was inside. When the high winds quit and the rain settled down to a slow simmer, I drove home. A lot of streets were like little lakes so I took several side streets home and avoided the water.

A "friend" called me the other day and told me she had three dozen eggs given to her and she doesn't like farm eggs. Did I want them? So I said, "Sure," drove out to where she was and she gave me one dozen eggs. It wasn't worth the price of gas. I am sure she went and promised the other two dozen eggs to someone else after she called me and asked me if I wanted them. Well, so be it. I do not live by eggs alone. Perhaps someone else needed them worse than me. I just hated to waste the gas and drive through some hazardous road work to get there.

I still need to go to the store and get some things I forgot last week. I lost time on my little eggery road trip. I will know better next time, won't I?

Gas came down slightly-to $2.59 a gallon. I wish I had some of that oil that is floating around in the Gulf and had it converted into gas!

Keep your socks dry and your undies high!

END

Hints you probably know

It was just too warm of a day to become involved in hard work or even to do shopping...so I didn't. I am still waiting for all that promised rain. The dirt in the garden has big cracks in it because it needs water. I guess I'll have to drag the hose out again. I did pick 4 ears of corn and they are in the sink right now.



I thought I would mention a couple of things I do in order to recycle or just be cheap. Brillo Pads. After I get a new Brillo pad out and use it I put it into a jar filled with water and soap pieces. The Brillo stays good-does not rust away or fall apart. You can use it over and over again and it is already pre-soaped.



Peanut Butter containers. They are made of plastic and make good vessels for saving dried split peas or beans. The caps will also fit on top of canning jars and mayonnaise jars if you don't want to save food in plastic.



Vegetable waste goes into the garden for compost. I do wish I had a chipper, though.



Chicken skin and chicken bones can be boiled, strained and be used for chicken broth. You can freeze the broth or can it. I don't do this a lot because of space, but a pint or two of home made broth is nice.



Old socks. Boy, do I have a lot of those! They all have holes in the toes. You can use them for dusting. A damp sock on the end of a broom will take down spider webs and dust from high places.



A teaspoon of Ammonia in the garbage pail or in a garbage bag will keep dogs, cats and wild things from strewing trash all over the neighborhood.



I saw a wild bunny in my yard. I was thinking about trying to catch it and starting a bunny farm right here in Urbania. Well, maybe not.



And how was your day? HOT?

Fishy stuff

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water...

along comes this!!

I didn't get the things done that I had intended to do and which was to go and get the rest of my shopping done. But not to fear-sometimes shopping comes to the door.

I bought a case of frozen fish from dealer that I occasionally buy from. I have shrimp, catfish, Talapia, and Mahi-Mahi fillets. I took them from the big box and put them into the freezer. Of course, none of the fish I put into the freezer are as colorful or as big as the ones you see here, but they are good. I have had them before from the same vendor. I was thinking: Buy now while they are available because we just don't know what will happen down on the Gulf Coast. I now have lots of fish and they are already cooked. I do love shrimp.

I heard one restauranter say that he is importing seafood from Asia and noticed that the Golden Corral does not have shrimp on their buffet' other very tiny shrimp on the salad bar. Another restaurant on the Delaware coast has taken it sea food off the menu because a patron found oil in her oysters/clams, I forgot which. Look for the prices to increase along with everything else.

I wish I could fit a half a cow into the freezer but it is getting a little crowded in there, not hardly enough room for a tail or hoof. I feel so fortunate that I can stock up like this as I know so many are out of work and money. I am afraid leaner days are down the road so I am spending my pennies, nickles and dimes now, while I can. I may be broke now, but I will have what I need for later. STOCK UP...STOCK UP...STOCK UP! and buy toilet paper, too! LOA!

END

Salt, Salt, and Salt

The salt in this can corroded the metal rim and little flaks of metal fell into the salt.

SALT. Can't live without it. The human body must have salt. We use it in everything, cooking, seasoning, preserving, canning, even cleaning. No salt, no proper body metabolism. Too much salt is not so good either, and can mess with the human wellness machine. So, life is all about salt in one form or another. Just ask all the little fishes of the sea-the ones that don't swim in the Gulf, that is.

Most commercially canned foods have salt added in the process of canning so you don't really need to add salt unless you are addicted to sodium. Table salt has Iodine added to help prevent goiters. Goiters were a common affliction at one time, but after adding the Iodine, most common goiters have been vanquished. Also, a starch is added to table salt to help it run freely. Remember the slogan on the Morton's salt container, "When it rains it pours?" You can use common table salt for pickling or canning garden produce, but it is apt to be a little cloudy.

The better choice for canning and pickling is the real Pickling and Preserving Salt made especially for the home harvester. Ball puts a good product and other brands are available, as well.

But...never...never buy Pickling and Preserving Salt in a metal container. I posted a picture to show you why. Salt corrodes. It eats away the metal rims of the canister. Even though I just opened up the can in the photo , it was affected by the mineral that also eats cars, and other metals. I tried to salvage the salt in the metal rimmed, aluminum sealed can, but ultimately I bought a new package in a plastic bag. Whether it would be harmful or not, I don't know: I don't want to find out.

I did stay in, right near the a/c. The temperature did go up to 97-98 with a "real feel" heat index of 105 , 110, depending on which weather channel you listened to or which one you wanted to believe. It made no difference-it was hot!

When I was out on Wed. I forgot to pick up a couple of items. Since I have to go out tomorrow I will try to get what I need. I should start making a list. Oh well...

Big brother called this evening. I think he is lonesome and isolated. His wife asks for prayers for her very serious condition. Keep her in mind.

END

Shopping

I went out shopping this afternoon in spite of the heat. There where a few items on sale that that I needed. I priced bleach the other day, but didn't buy it. Family Dollar has it on sale for $1.50 per gallon. I found ammonia for $1.00 and canned Mackerel(fish) for $1.00 per can. I bought four cans. I looked at it at the regular supermarket and it was $1.59 per can. I like it as well, if not better, than Tuna, and you get twice as much for your money. You can make a good "tuna" salad with Mackerel or good fried "Salmon Cakes." Last week I bought generic Corn Flakes and Cheerios at Wal Mart. The only difference from the brand name products is the that generic cereals come in plain boxes as Great Value and you get almost double the cereal. I just don't need the fancy boxes that most cereal boxes come in.

We have deluded ourselves into thinking that products in pretty boxes are the best buys on the shelf. I will go as far as saying Tide detergent and Campbell soups are pretty good, but more expensive. On a limited budget, I usually buy the house brand for most product.

The temperature for Thursday is supposed to be 97 degrees with a heat index of over 100. That means I plan on sitting right next to the air conditioner if not right on top of it. We "might" get rain on Friday-maybe. I planted two melon plants a couple months ago and they just now getting blossoms. I can see tomato blossoms from the porch/patio. Maybe... I'll get tomatoes before frost, if it rains.

I picked up a couple more wooden garden baskets and took them out to Judy and returned her buckets at the same time. I didn't hose out her buckets because I figured they will just re-fill them with dirty stuff from their garden. I didn't intend to be so lazy about it, but it is just too hot out there to be working.

Tomorrow I hope to put up a couple pictures with my post.

END

Not much

I left my shoes out on the patio last night and it rained. By early afternoon they were all dried out because the sun came out and it became pretty warm out there. So, no harm done.

I have been craving something; I don't know what. For lunch I fried up crook neck squash with onions, peppers and chicken. I wasn't satisfied. For supper I got a NY strip steak out of the freezer and cooked it with peppers and onions. I ate well, still crave something. I think I need some candy or something that isn't good for me.

I didn't do much work today. The garden is wet, yet locally we are over six inches below normal in rainfall. We get a little rain, but now enough. It pours all around, but not here.

There isn't much to write about unless I point out the misuse of there and their. As most older readers know, "there" is a place or position. "Their(s)" of is people/and or possessions. In other words , Beverly is over there and and the car is theirs. LOA! I see so may spelling and grammatical errors these days, and I am no expert. I think texting and social webs are creating dumb down dummies in the world of Facebook, Twitter and Myspace. And so it goes.

More boring stuff

Yesterday afternoon I went out shopping and passed a road side stand and bought two nifty baskets for $.50 cents apiece. They will make great garden baskets and the price was right! Yup,there is a small cobweb in the right corner. Don't look.

Here are the beets I canned. Even though I put in two new florescent light bulbs in the kitchen the lighting is still bad, but you get the picture.

I mowed the back and front yard today. The temperature was down, but the humidity was not. My cloths were soaked and sticking to me. I need to do the trimming, but it is supposed to rain and storm tonight and tomorrow; it will have to wait. The fence is covered with Morning Glory vines. On the other side of the yard the fence is covered with Virginia Creeper vines. The Virginia Creeper vines look a little bit like Poison Ivy, Hopefully both will disappear with a little friendly persuasion from the weed whacker. I forgot to get trim line again, so again it will have to wait. So, the yard work is only semi-done. If I lived out of town I wouldn't have to worry or care how the yard looks.

One thing about working hard; I forget about eating. I may have lost about seven lbs. that I am sure about. Seven more would please me. Oh, to be 115 lbs. again. When I was 115 lbs. I thought I was fat! Well, I am a long way from that now!

Not much more on my shriveled up wrinkled brain so I close to the tune of "THE OLD GRAY MARE AIN'T WHAT SHE USED TO BE!"

END

Resting Up

I tried to post a picture of the canned beets, but the kitchen was so dark it didn't "take." I will try again on Monday. I need to replace a couple fluorescent tubes. I didn't do any real work today. I went out to the garden and fiddled around a bit. Some of the tomato plants have small tomatoes on them. I need to tie them up better. There is a Roma tomato plant that came up on it's own that seems to be being doing well.

I am going to try making a batch of Red Wine from beet juice instead of pouring all the liquid down the drain. I found some recipes on line and I have more beets to process on Monday or Tuesday. I also read the beet juice is very good for high blood pressure-I didn't know that. I did know that originally beets were raised for livestock fodder. The cows were eating better than the farmers!

I would like to start a summer/fall garden soon, but I can't get the little wind-up Troy tiller to even buzz. I give another go in a few days.

I was so tired that I didn't cook supper. I just drove to Wendy's and got my supper and a salad for tomorrow.

Because I am tired I am off to bed "early." I didn't get into bed until after 1 A.M. and I intended to sleep late, but the body clock said "no." Anyway, I am of to nodding land.
END

There are days

There are days when things just do not go the way you think they should. My mother's old pressure cooker/canner is probably older than I am. I had little annoying things happen when old canners sometimes misbehave. I guess it needs a new sealing ring although it got the job done. I could see it losing steam around the lid. And the safety plug was leaking, too. Neither are big problems as the ring is easily replaced and I have extra plugs. It just makes the canning a bit slower.

I was almost ready to do the canning of beets when I almost panicked. I didn't have canning lids. All I could find was wide mouth lids. Everything was cooking away and so was I. I thought I would have to change cloths and run to the store and get lids for my jars. I rummaged in the far back corner of the pantry and found two boxes of lids. I am not sure how old they or if they will seal. I should have checked before I got started. I will buy new lids and hope these seal the jars.

I canned seven quarts of beets this evening and have some left over. The canner only holds seven quart jars so it will take another season to finish the rest. Surprise! I have another canner that I bought years ago from Sears. It is a tall canner and is harder for me to handle, but I already have it out and ready to use.

The canning has about wore my arm out and I am feeling discomfort tonight. I had to use it to lift jars in and out and pots of water back and forth. Well, it will recover and it will be useful for the next canning job.

Ah, if you could see my kitchen. Beets went skittering across the floor and there is beet juice all over. I have wiped up most of it, but it needs some TLC tomorrow. I just didn't have things laid out and in order before I started. I remedy that, too.

Canning is not an easy task. There are several steps to follow and lots of preparation. I think lots of survivalist first time gardeners will fall by the wayside when they find out how much time and work is involved. Just because someone can raise a garden doesn't mean they can be successful at preserving. Just look at me. For as hard as I worked today I don't know if my jars will seal and be preserved. I hope all has gone well with my endeavor, but even the best of canners have bad days or bad results. And it isn't over yet. The are more beets in the garden and lots of other goodies.

RULE OF THE DAY; Check your resources/supplies before you start!!

Now we know

Now we know-the hard way-that canning vegetables in the hot water bath is risky and an expensive waste of time, energy and green beans. "I told you so." She said, "that's the way my mother always did it." Thus, she lost 17 qts. of green beans, time and money. The only really "safe" vegetable to process in the hot water canning bath is the tomato because of it's acidity. I use a pressure cooker for all other veggies. I know lots of people still use the hot water bath, but why run the risk of botulism, mold or food poisoning? Yet, she is doing it again this year. Maybe I am too careful or paranoid about canning and processing garden produce, but think of this; Your garden lives and thrives in...dirt and every thing else that loves dirt. Microbes, bacteria, chemicals, natural and man made, enjoy the soil that nurtures your garden plants that nurture you. Even that nasty little bug Anthrax can be found in the dirt in a natural soil of garden dirt. So, why take the chance of canning the old fashioned way of a hot water bath just because our mothers did it 60 and seventy years ago. Guess what...she has a pressure cooker/canner! I really didn't say "I told you so," but I did try to get her to preserve with a pressure cooker/canner. As she said, "this is the way my mother did it."

Right now I have a large pot of cooked beets on the stove waiting to be skinned and canned. I didn't get it done because friends came with a load of eggs that I needed to run over to the nursing home right away because of the heat and humidity. They didn't need to be sitting out too long and become rotten eggs. I beat the storm going, but the storm caught up with me just as I was coming back It was a real gully washer. I pulled into the Dunkin' Donut parking lot to wait it out. Some young people didn't, their car stalled out in the water, and probably their power steering went out too, because they hit the curb with a pretty good jolt. They all ran across the street and sought shelter on an insurance agency's porch. They were good and wet, drenched, soaked to the gills and then some. Other people pulled in behind me to wait out the worst of the storm. I would rather be cautious than stuck out in a gully washer like that. At least we got rain. I got home later than I expected and that is why I didn't get the beets done. I will get at them tomorrow.

END

Chicken in the freezer

I went to Wall-Mart and bought five chickens for the freezer. When I was putting them in the freezer I found a chicken I had bought at an other sale some time ago. So, I put four in the freezer and kept one out for me to make meals with. Thus, I still have five in the freezer. I feel a little guilty because I just about cleaned the deli out. I am thinking about going back in a few days and getting more, but I will give them a some time to forget who cleaned them out on Wed. LOA!

I have Squash, Zucchini and beets in the back of the van. I will have to bring them in in small installments as I can't lift the buckets. I will get them in, a few at at a time. It is the beets that I really like. Pickled beets are so good!

I see people on Facebook are having a miserable time in all the heat. I know that many people on the east coast don't have A/C. Here, in downtown Ky, you can't hardly live without them, esp. in towns. It is like living in a heat sink. Hopefully, tomorrow will be slightly cooler and rain will come on Thursday evening.

I refilled the birdbath last evening and again this evening. I saw one lonely bird out there looking for a drink, but the well had gone dry. In the morning the birds will get their water.

I picked up my meds. this afternoon. $99.00 cash. I don't know what the agent was thinking of when he didn't include drug coverage. in my plan. I have enough B/P meds. for 90 days and that helps. Of course that isn't the only medicine I had to get, but the other stuff was cheap in comparison. Every time I go to get a prescription filled they say, "You don't have drug coverage" and I have to tell them I will pay cash up front for it. In November, when the agent comes around, you can count on me making some changes.

I have received a few complaints about a family member using vulgarities and some nasty, mean comments on Facebook. I have to tell them I have no control over that person or what she is posting. If she can not use proper decorum at her age, she never will.

The price of gas went down a few cents, not really enough to make a difference. This nation runs on oil and we have been hijacked by big corporations, banks and politics. There is little we can do about it. "They" passed Lieberman's "Kill Switch" for the Internet. The government can shut down the Internet anytime it wants to do so. I remember my brother telling me the way to conquer a nation and control it's people was to control communications. Free Press is gone. Free Speech is vilified and pretty soon communications will be under the hammer. Glenn Beck is running scared with good reason. The demeaning of religion has been slowly ground into the skulls of numskulls and idjets alike. When will the next shoe fall, I wonder. When I went to the Doctor I had to show my driver's licence, but illegals don't have to. What's next?

END P.S..Sometimes I take poetic licence with certain words of phrases. Another P.S....Never buy chocolate and leave in a hot car! Mush!

Doctor Day done

Doctor Day is out of the way. Got my prescriptions updated ready for refills. Now that is done I can get ready for business. Which is not much business.

I am about ready to get into some canning and do some stocking up. Wal-Mart has a "sale" on rotisserie chicken for $4.98 each. It is already cooked and ready to go into the freezer. That is about $.50 cents less than it was last week. I can't buy it much cheaper then that and I don't have to heat the whole house up cooking it.

Tomorrow I will go pick up some corn, beets and zucchini that was offered to me. Never pass up free food. The person that has offered it does not want to can it in this high heat and I can't say that I blame her. She didn't offer me tomatoes though...darn. Come winter time she may wish she had some of the produce she is giving away.

If I were to drive to Evansville I could get some sausage for $1.00 per package or 10 for $10.00 and the same for some lunch meats. I have to think about that because I need to get some other things done first.

We really need rain. My yard has turned brown. I don't need to mow it. Maybe we will get some on Friday.

I had this post all ready to send and 90% of it vanished. I did most of it over, but hate it when that happens. I retrieved the first paragraph for the draft file...but where did the rest go?

END

Split Pea Soup

I made a crock pot full of Split Pea Soup with ham and ham hocks. I let it simmer for about 20 hours on low. It turned out pretty good. The soup you see will go into the freezer for cold days in the future. The containers are from the deli when the kitchen was too hot to cook in. I am a mild hoarder. I try to get at least one or two uses out of everything before I have to toss an object out. Next, I will make a crock pot of bean soup for the freezer. I need to go back to the store and get a couple more ham hocks for flavoring. I already have some ham. The book is a book I have had for 25 years or more and is full of all kinds of useful information.

Last night I was able to watch the "local fireworks" from my back patio/porch. I think every young person and a few not so young, spent big bucks on pyroclastics. Before the week is out a lot of them will be going to the Salvation Army for meals and food. You can count on it because this is not a wealthy neighborhood and right around the corner is public housing.

There isn't much to write about here in the slow lane. I don't lead an exciting, eventful life. I did drive down by the river because I wanted to take some pictures. Even that was boring.

There is a good show coming up on the Discovery Channel. It is called AFTER DARK and is study of why we are afraid of the dark and the history of of man's fear of the dark. We don't really know what "dark" is anymore because in our society and culture there is usually some light somewhere. The whole of the North American Continent can be seen from outer space as the earth "lights up" at night. What would you do or how would you react if when the sun goes down the predators, man or beast, come out to play or seek a good meal? I guess most of us would crawl into a hole and pull it in over ourselves. Anyway, I will try to watch it.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, is Doctor Day. I will go in and get my prescriptions renewed. Good old Medicare in all their generosity, just now paid my Dr. for a visit in January. Will it get better now that our President has saved the world? Probably not. I'll bet Michelle even ties the shoes for the president in the morning and sends him on his appointed rounds of TV appearances and continual flying about and politicking. Give his his own set of wings, God, because he may be our next black Saint and be wearing a lovely golden halo. Oops, I forgot-he doesn't really care for Americans that cling to their religion and guns. My bad-no halo for a disbeliever. He may get his wings though and he will need them when he gets tossed out of the White House in the next Presidential election. GO YE FORTH AND DESECRATE the American Constitution, oh faithful son of Socialism. H! I'm a prophet-tess!

Bang..Boom

Yup, the firecrackers are going off all over the place. You knew they would. The thing that concerns me is that everything is dry.

I ate my first ear of corn from the garden. I dug up a couple of small potatoes and ate them, too. I could not dig down into the soil well because the ground is so dry.I got the hose out and got myself soaked. It happens every time. I did buy a nozzle that is not supposed to leak, but it does. I also have a new 80 ft. hose in the van. I'll try that.

I just didn't get much done today. Just too hot. Pulling weeds out of dry soil isn't easy. Maybe they will come up a little better now that there is a little moisture in the ground.

My electric bill is way up. I only started using the new A/C about three weeks ago and it is supposed to be energy efficient. The utility companies are really making a profit on us downtrodden.

The kid next door finally mowed his grass. I don't need to mow mine yet because it just isn't growing.

There isn't much going on. There is stuff going on down by the river-fireworks-but I am not going to fight the crowd. They can bang away all they want: I am staying home. People have forgotten the true meaning of Independence day. Now, it is mostly one big beer party.

END

End times for mice and spiders

I'm still tired from my workout yesterday. I decided to take the day off and lay about in my little "recovery room" and sleep a little later. Not too late though. I guess you could call me lazy. I hope the good weather will last into Saturday and then I can finish my job in the garden.

I bought five more boxes of shelf stable milk. I seem to be using them up instead of stocking up on them. They are $1.00 a box at the Dollar Store. Not everything is a bargain there, but the milk is. Of course, the store was busy because all of "entitlement" people were shopping there, trying to save a dime.

I picked a few beans from the garden. There are not very many as most of the beans didn't come up.The ones that did come up are in all the wrong places, scratched about by the birds, I guess. Anyway, the few beans that did come up are real long and thin. I am not sure what they are, but they don't look like what I thought I had planted. I don't have many, just a couple plants came up, so I may save them for seed later, if I can still garden next year.

I have managed to lose about six pounds, maybe more. I am not sure because I just started to weigh myself a couple weeks ago. I could stand to lose about 20-25 lbs more. Anyway, my neck looks thinner-I think. Or maybe I am just fooling myself. As I have mentioned before, I have cut most sugar out of my food. I eat a cup of cereal at bedtime with milk, no sugar.

I just killed a spider crawling down the wall. It reminds me that the sticky traps have killed several spiders and one mouse. I hate the sticky traps for mice. It seems pretty inhumane for the mouse and I can't stand to watch them struggle. I don't have the moxie to kill them outright as they try to get loose so I take the card outside where I can't see it. I guess I will go back to setting traps because in most cases it is over with pretty quickly. I know I have to kill the mousy mice, but I guess I am not much of a critter killer.

Yesterday I turned off the A/C and most fans. I wish I could do that every day. I can take the cooler/cold weather better than the heat and humidity. It saves money, too.

Even though I slept late(9:30) I am yawning and my eyes are tired. I just got my bedtime eye gtts. $98.00 for the tiny little bottle and $75.00 for the other bottle last week. At least the bedtime bottle will last a while. I have not drug coverage. The agent didn't set it up for me. I guess he thought he was saving me money. That's life for us "entitlement" people.

END

Weeds Be Gone

I got back into the garden today. I pulled weeds like you wouldn't believe. 80% of the weeds are gone: that leaves at least 20% to pull, more or less. It is not a large garden, but it isn't a postage stamp size plot either. That means that 20% is still a ways to go. There is about three feet of super sized weeds to be pulled yet. However, when they are gone it will be sprucing up and maintaining the garden. I have to admit today's work took a lot out of me. I spent so many hours in a bent over, upside down position, that I became a little nauseated. I went back to my chair on the patio and rested for a bit and the nausea passed over. I guess standing on your head for so long a time makes your stomach and brain detach and go in separate ways. I left off around 6 PM and must say the garden looks a lot better. I hope to finish tomorrow.

Tomorrow-Friday-all the checks will be out, for certain. As it is the 4th of July week-end, it is bound to get nosy and wild. That is a good reason to stay home and work. I hope I am able to move. Right now I am feeling the effects of stoop labor. I may decide to sleep late and let the body right itself.

I forgot to put a couple tools away, but I am not going back out in the dark. Boo! It's dark out there!

If I weren't so tired I would write some more, but I am so tired that I will write no more-tonight.

END