Posts
Well it's day 16 of the Freezer Experiment and I haven't opened it to retrieve anything since I did my batch cooking a few days ago. Last night we had leftover chili and there's two quarts in the frig in Mason jars. Did you pour the chili into the jars while its real hot and put the lid and ring on that the jar seals? Yup. Will keep for a few weeks that way in the frig. Otherwise, get ambitious and make a huge batch and pressure can seven quarts. Ready Made Meals.
Well, I was back outside helping Sweetie. He's really gung ho over this pole barn business. So four poplars are knocked down, delimbed and the logs cut into six foot lengths. Guess who the official brush hauler is? Now we're both worn out and I'm in the mood for a good back massage and a Reuben sandwich. Don't have any Swiss or mozzarella cheese so plain old American will have to do. We buy our corned beef in cans from the dollar store. It's handy to have around and slices better if cooled in the frig first.
I forgot to mention I made an apple pie this morning too. Now don't go thinking I'm always this ambitious. Just goes in streaks like everything else.
Also, we watched 20/20 last night on ABC. Stossel went after the government for their bailout scheme, the presidential candidates for their silliness and lies and the farm bill for its wastefulness. Not too often you see mainstream media talking anything close to the truth so it was refreshing.
Well, have clean clothes to bring in from the line and supper to make. Have a good evening, Treesong
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Simplify, Simplify
Ahhhhh...
These old bones are aching today. Since 10 a.m. I've been raking leaves and dumping them by wheelbarrow on our garden. Before that I did two loads of wash and hung them on the line, made breakfast, doctored the pot of chili and read the blogs. It's about 2:30 p.m. and I'm whipped.
But raking leaves has a meditative quality. The rhythm of moving a rake just carries me to other places and times when life was simpler. If I have any regrets in life, which I tend not to as they are a waste of time, it would be that I didn't remain at an 80-acre non-electrified property I used to own. I think I've spent my entire life since then trying to get back to something similar.
Can you even begin to imagine owning 80 acres with a two-acre pond, a granary, a sauna, a two-seater outhouse and a four-room house for $21,000? Oh, and a creek cut the place nearly in half. The tiny home was an original homestead that had never been modernized. I even had a stone lined well in the yard with a rope and bucket. My Dad and I modernized the place by piping the water to the house and attaching a red pitcher pump to a second hand cast iron sink - the kind with the big built in drain boards. I added a gas refrigerator and 24" gas stove and gas lights. The walls were entirely covered in 12-14 inch hand planed knotty pine that had been cut on the property! God, I was crazy to ever leave that place.
But, reality is just that. I no longer own it and could not buy the place today for love nor money, as they say. And the new owner has ruined all that was special about the place.
And as my mind wandered some more today, I was thinking about this place and the fact that it hasn't sold. But we still dream that one day it will and we'll move north. In the meantime I feel fortunate to be living as peacefully and simply as I do. I probably have an acre to rake - in three different spots, and that's fine with me. Yet across the road from us the absentee owner is at his property driving a commerical lawn sweeper across the yard. The damn thing sounds like an airplane that never takes off. And he drives up here every weekend from Detroit - three and a half hours southeast of us - to mow the lawn and play with his other assorted pieces of heavy equipment. What a waste.
These old bones are aching today. Since 10 a.m. I've been raking leaves and dumping them by wheelbarrow on our garden. Before that I did two loads of wash and hung them on the line, made breakfast, doctored the pot of chili and read the blogs. It's about 2:30 p.m. and I'm whipped.
But raking leaves has a meditative quality. The rhythm of moving a rake just carries me to other places and times when life was simpler. If I have any regrets in life, which I tend not to as they are a waste of time, it would be that I didn't remain at an 80-acre non-electrified property I used to own. I think I've spent my entire life since then trying to get back to something similar.
Can you even begin to imagine owning 80 acres with a two-acre pond, a granary, a sauna, a two-seater outhouse and a four-room house for $21,000? Oh, and a creek cut the place nearly in half. The tiny home was an original homestead that had never been modernized. I even had a stone lined well in the yard with a rope and bucket. My Dad and I modernized the place by piping the water to the house and attaching a red pitcher pump to a second hand cast iron sink - the kind with the big built in drain boards. I added a gas refrigerator and 24" gas stove and gas lights. The walls were entirely covered in 12-14 inch hand planed knotty pine that had been cut on the property! God, I was crazy to ever leave that place.
But, reality is just that. I no longer own it and could not buy the place today for love nor money, as they say. And the new owner has ruined all that was special about the place.
And as my mind wandered some more today, I was thinking about this place and the fact that it hasn't sold. But we still dream that one day it will and we'll move north. In the meantime I feel fortunate to be living as peacefully and simply as I do. I probably have an acre to rake - in three different spots, and that's fine with me. Yet across the road from us the absentee owner is at his property driving a commerical lawn sweeper across the yard. The damn thing sounds like an airplane that never takes off. And he drives up here every weekend from Detroit - three and a half hours southeast of us - to mow the lawn and play with his other assorted pieces of heavy equipment. What a waste.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Wasteful People, Serendipity and Quilting
The first picture shows two of my favorite pastimes: quilting and building Charles Wysocki puzzles. The second photo is the apple corer we were given today.
The quilt is made entirely of scraps and fabrics that were given to me. The puzzle was a rummage sale find.
You know what they say about one man's trash being another man's treasure. Aside from dumpster diving, visiting resale shops or rummage sales the best opportunities to build your supplies are often unexpected. It helps too, to know wasteful people.
Some of our latest examples are: A call from his sister to pick up a box of "junk" at his mother's vacant house. We're now the proud owners of an apple corer, yet another tea kettle, some bedding and several bottles of spices. And to think I had just struck a deal with Sweetie to make an apple pie if he'd peel and core the apples. I love serendipity.
Last week he ran into his neice's husband - known as the local construction crook - and while I was in the resale shop - loaded five 20' sheets of used metal siding into our pickup. We think we've finally sold the backhoe so you know who has dreams of a 24x32 foot pole building. Another neighbor has fourteen 24' trusses for $300 and I suspect those will be hauled home this weekend. Now he's outside sorting through his lumber pile for anything to use in the pole building.
Monday we have a veterinarian appointment and he'll pick up the rest of the lumber he needs while I stock up on dry cat food and scrounge Goodwill for picture frames. Last time I was there I found stacks of them for 69 cents apiece. I'm enlarging some of my children's baby pictures for gifts.
Another house in the neighborhood has gone into foreclosure and we happened to meet the young couple as they were leaving their drive for good. That few minutes of neighborly chit chat got us bags of canned goods and two packages of frozen hamburger. They and their three children were crammed into an old Ford Fiesta and her brother was pulling a small trailer with his pickup truck. No one had room for the food so it was being left behind. We offered to deliver the food to their new home but were told they're moving three hours south.
So keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities. And, don't limit yourself to what you think you may need or use. Last year I sold lots of things on Ebay that were given to me.
That's all for now. Time to make that pie. Treesong
The quilt is made entirely of scraps and fabrics that were given to me. The puzzle was a rummage sale find.
You know what they say about one man's trash being another man's treasure. Aside from dumpster diving, visiting resale shops or rummage sales the best opportunities to build your supplies are often unexpected. It helps too, to know wasteful people.
Some of our latest examples are: A call from his sister to pick up a box of "junk" at his mother's vacant house. We're now the proud owners of an apple corer, yet another tea kettle, some bedding and several bottles of spices. And to think I had just struck a deal with Sweetie to make an apple pie if he'd peel and core the apples. I love serendipity.
Last week he ran into his neice's husband - known as the local construction crook - and while I was in the resale shop - loaded five 20' sheets of used metal siding into our pickup. We think we've finally sold the backhoe so you know who has dreams of a 24x32 foot pole building. Another neighbor has fourteen 24' trusses for $300 and I suspect those will be hauled home this weekend. Now he's outside sorting through his lumber pile for anything to use in the pole building.
Monday we have a veterinarian appointment and he'll pick up the rest of the lumber he needs while I stock up on dry cat food and scrounge Goodwill for picture frames. Last time I was there I found stacks of them for 69 cents apiece. I'm enlarging some of my children's baby pictures for gifts.
Another house in the neighborhood has gone into foreclosure and we happened to meet the young couple as they were leaving their drive for good. That few minutes of neighborly chit chat got us bags of canned goods and two packages of frozen hamburger. They and their three children were crammed into an old Ford Fiesta and her brother was pulling a small trailer with his pickup truck. No one had room for the food so it was being left behind. We offered to deliver the food to their new home but were told they're moving three hours south.
So keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities. And, don't limit yourself to what you think you may need or use. Last year I sold lots of things on Ebay that were given to me.
That's all for now. Time to make that pie. Treesong
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Read Archdruid Today!!
He says it so much better than I do!
"When the US government announced a few days ago that it was investing $250 billion in the nation’s banks, for example, that money did not have to be pulled out of some imaginary bank account in the national treasury, much less extracted from the dwindling productive capacities of America’s remaining factories and farms; it was conjured into being by government fiat, in order to replace some even vaster sum of abstract wealth that more or less dissolved into twinkle dust over the preceding weeks.What makes this pursuit of the abstract so dangerous, of course, is that abstract value is not the same thing as the concrete realities it once represented: green fields and grain in storehouses; strong muscles and the work they accomplish; or for that matter, factories, the resources that keep them running, and the products that come from them. These are real wealth; the layers of economic abstraction piled atop them are simply complex social games that determine who gets access to how much of this real wealth – and those games can become so complex., and so dysfunctional, that they get in the way of the production of real wealth. The flight into abstraction can proceed so far, in other words, that the abstractions interfere with the concrete realities underlying them."
"When the US government announced a few days ago that it was investing $250 billion in the nation’s banks, for example, that money did not have to be pulled out of some imaginary bank account in the national treasury, much less extracted from the dwindling productive capacities of America’s remaining factories and farms; it was conjured into being by government fiat, in order to replace some even vaster sum of abstract wealth that more or less dissolved into twinkle dust over the preceding weeks.What makes this pursuit of the abstract so dangerous, of course, is that abstract value is not the same thing as the concrete realities it once represented: green fields and grain in storehouses; strong muscles and the work they accomplish; or for that matter, factories, the resources that keep them running, and the products that come from them. These are real wealth; the layers of economic abstraction piled atop them are simply complex social games that determine who gets access to how much of this real wealth – and those games can become so complex., and so dysfunctional, that they get in the way of the production of real wealth. The flight into abstraction can proceed so far, in other words, that the abstractions interfere with the concrete realities underlying them."
Presumptions and Hope
This Associated Press article by Martin Crutsinger caught my attention: "The administration plans to spend $250 billion this year on the (bank) stock purchases and the president certified Tuesday that another $100 billion would be needed in connection with covering bad assets. That would leave $350 billion of the $700 billion program, presumably to be spent by the next president."
Does anyone really believe any of the $700 billion bailout will be left for the next president? With the auto industry lining up behind the banks, the mortgage mess, the bond markets, the credit card companies (soon to come) and slumping sales (growth), rising unemployment and inflation, the $700 billion will soon need to be recapitalized - which the TARP does allow for.
And throughout my readings I keep noticing another word: hope. The shysters always preface their remarks with, "we hope this will work," and "we hope to have a plan in place."
Us "common people" hope we'll have a job, hope our retirement accounts will recover, hope to keep our homes, hope "things will get better," and hope the next president will "do something" to fix this mess. The government hopes they'll find a magic potion in uncharted territory - at least until they leave office.
I hate to tell ya folks, but the government's "hope" and Regular Joe's "hope" are one and the same; a fantasy. Our world is built on illusion and credit; two powerful elixirs that have kept us insulated from reality. It's time to wake up and stop fantasizing.
Does anyone really believe any of the $700 billion bailout will be left for the next president? With the auto industry lining up behind the banks, the mortgage mess, the bond markets, the credit card companies (soon to come) and slumping sales (growth), rising unemployment and inflation, the $700 billion will soon need to be recapitalized - which the TARP does allow for.
And throughout my readings I keep noticing another word: hope. The shysters always preface their remarks with, "we hope this will work," and "we hope to have a plan in place."
Us "common people" hope we'll have a job, hope our retirement accounts will recover, hope to keep our homes, hope "things will get better," and hope the next president will "do something" to fix this mess. The government hopes they'll find a magic potion in uncharted territory - at least until they leave office.
I hate to tell ya folks, but the government's "hope" and Regular Joe's "hope" are one and the same; a fantasy. Our world is built on illusion and credit; two powerful elixirs that have kept us insulated from reality. It's time to wake up and stop fantasizing.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Today's Musings
Last night's local newscast had a segment devoted to "surviving hard economic times." Thankfully, they did a little promo on it so I knew to sit down and listen closely to their advice.
Their feature followed a woman as she did her weekly shopping. The following tips were presented: shop for generic brands, plan your menu around what the store specials are that week, and use coupons. As expected nothing too drastic. Just simple ways to cut back a little.
While I admit these tactics work, the real opportunity to help people "survive hard economic times" was missed. So here's what the audience would have heard had I been the "shopper."
1. Plant a garden (even if it's a window box) and eat seasonally. Don't hae garden "space?" Tear up your lawn!
2. Begin building a year's food, toiletry and cleaning supply by buying extra every time you shop.
3. After a month begin shopping every other week, then every three weeks, then monthly.
4. If you have discretionary dollars (not credit) go out and buy grains, rice, canned meats, spices and coffee, etc. in bulk or large quantities NOW. Date all items and follow the first in; first out rule. Learn to "shop" in your pantry!
5. Put yourself/family on a "Do Not Spend" diet for a month. I did this years ago. Everytime one of us thought of buying something we wrote it down in a tablet that had two columns: the item in one column; the price in the next. At the end of the month we tallied the right hand column - $487.00 (rounded up)! We were so excited we committed to doing it the next month. After three months we realized two things: lots of "I want to buy" thoughts translated into "I didn't realize how much" and "I didn't realize" statements. And, we could save for the downpayment on our first home.
My final "shopper" advice would be to examine the words you use and how they reflect your choices. For example using the word "need" when you really mean "want." Once you do this you'll start examining more of the choices you make every day. Thriftiness and conserving will become second nature.
To stay focused be willing to challenge yourself with little games like these:
How long can I make that tube of toothepaste last? A lot longer if you're willing to cut the top off, slice the tube down one side and across the bottom. On average there are six to eight more uses from the tube - which is folded back to its original shape and wrapped in a piece of cling wrap. Crazy? Depends on how serious you are about "saving."
Of course, in this house nearly everything is dated - either when it's opened or when it's purchased. So the 12 tubes of toothpaste lasts about one month longer than previously.
To most people this little trick probably sounds extreme. But, if you're truly interested in saving and you believe that the economy is going to continue its downward spiral, it's well worth exploring.
Their feature followed a woman as she did her weekly shopping. The following tips were presented: shop for generic brands, plan your menu around what the store specials are that week, and use coupons. As expected nothing too drastic. Just simple ways to cut back a little.
While I admit these tactics work, the real opportunity to help people "survive hard economic times" was missed. So here's what the audience would have heard had I been the "shopper."
1. Plant a garden (even if it's a window box) and eat seasonally. Don't hae garden "space?" Tear up your lawn!
2. Begin building a year's food, toiletry and cleaning supply by buying extra every time you shop.
3. After a month begin shopping every other week, then every three weeks, then monthly.
4. If you have discretionary dollars (not credit) go out and buy grains, rice, canned meats, spices and coffee, etc. in bulk or large quantities NOW. Date all items and follow the first in; first out rule. Learn to "shop" in your pantry!
5. Put yourself/family on a "Do Not Spend" diet for a month. I did this years ago. Everytime one of us thought of buying something we wrote it down in a tablet that had two columns: the item in one column; the price in the next. At the end of the month we tallied the right hand column - $487.00 (rounded up)! We were so excited we committed to doing it the next month. After three months we realized two things: lots of "I want to buy" thoughts translated into "I didn't realize how much" and "I didn't realize" statements. And, we could save for the downpayment on our first home.
My final "shopper" advice would be to examine the words you use and how they reflect your choices. For example using the word "need" when you really mean "want." Once you do this you'll start examining more of the choices you make every day. Thriftiness and conserving will become second nature.
To stay focused be willing to challenge yourself with little games like these:
How long can I make that tube of toothepaste last? A lot longer if you're willing to cut the top off, slice the tube down one side and across the bottom. On average there are six to eight more uses from the tube - which is folded back to its original shape and wrapped in a piece of cling wrap. Crazy? Depends on how serious you are about "saving."
Of course, in this house nearly everything is dated - either when it's opened or when it's purchased. So the 12 tubes of toothpaste lasts about one month longer than previously.
To most people this little trick probably sounds extreme. But, if you're truly interested in saving and you believe that the economy is going to continue its downward spiral, it's well worth exploring.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Murphy's Law Five; Me One
I woke up at 5 a.m. to the sound of wind ripping the top of our shed loose. As usual, Sweetie slept through it. We still had electricity so I put on a pot of coffee, splashed some water on my face and wrapped myself in an afghan and cozied up with Mita the wonder cat while the Folger's brewed.
Just as I was getting up to savor that first cup of java, the lights went out and I stumbled over our kitten. Now I have a bruised right knee and a sore wrist. Murphy one; me zero.
But life goes on.
Back in my chair, balancing the coffee in one hand and petting Mita with the other (our morning ritual) I am attacked by the kitten again. Now Mita is upset as she does not like coffee baths. Murphy two; me another zero. The power is still off and I'm sitting in the dark, by the way.
The cats are having a little disagreement on the floor and once again I am plodding across the living room in search of the flashlight. I do not have one stashed in the magazine rack next to my chair. In fact there is no flashlight in the livng room. I have discovered a hole in our preps! There is a flashlight the kitchen silverware drawer though, and I make my way there in safety just as the power is turned on. I place the flashlight in the magazine rack "just in case" and sit down again. All is well for about an hour and the wind dies down. Sweetie is still asleep and the cats have made up.
At 7 a.m. it is finally light out and Sweetie walks into the living room asking "where the H-- have you been?" Guess he likes me snuggling next to him! I tell him about the storm and he tells me it's my imagination. I forgive him that remark because he's not yet fully awake.
I decide to venture outside and "take a peek at the damage" and he tells me I'm nuts. Oh well, he's stuck with me now!
Outside, the air is stangely calm and I recall that's how it was one year ago when a tornado came through. By this time I'm around the end of our mobile home and see something flapping off the end of the shed. Kind of expeded damage there as it was quickly built of scrap materials and we've had problems with it before. As I walk behind the shed I see a skunk heading for the woods, his back to me. I make an abrupt turn and head back inside safe and scent free.
By this time Sweetie is getting a bit contankerous and wants his breakfast. I am such a darling I ALWAYS make it for him. With that job out of the way I'm game for a walk so I get dressed. Walking down the hall I notice the back door is open and leaves are flying in the door. It is now nearly 8 a.m. and the temp is 40 degrees so I wear sweatpants and sweatshirt. Out on the road I spook a couple deer crossing the road and continue on my way. Sweetie ought to be out here. It would wake him up proper! The wind has picked up again and I'm heading into it, head bent down and determined to follow my usual two mile route. Halfway through my loop, I am met on the road by some smartass who thinks it's funny to beep the horn and pull up real close. I turn around to tell him a thing or two and discover it's the State Police. "M'am, you really shouldn't be out here alone. There's been an accident on the highway and the driver's run off into the woods in this direction." I tell him I'm headed back and he takes off. About half a mile later I'm now going uphill with the wind at my back and trying to keep my long hair in place; I didn't tie it back before leaving the house. As I crest the hill a man runs across the road...
If he saw me it didn't matter as he kept running. About two minutes later a helicoptor is overhead and the State Trooper buzzes by again.
Once home I come in the door blabbing about the "excitement" as Sweetie is pointing at the kitchen floor but NOT SAYING anything! Murphy three; me another zero. This time it kinda hurts to sit down and I'm not too happy with you know who. And when, oh when will he learn that HE needs to wipe up his spills?
So for a couple hours I decide it's safer to just sit here and read email and the blogs. All is well with the world again.
About 11 a.m. I decide to go pick the beets in the garden. The deer have beat me to all but six of them. Murphy four; me zero.
Seeing as I'm outside I'll stack some firewood. But Sweetie has let the kitten out and she spies another opportunity to score. I won't even bother with the details. Murphy five; me zero.
I come inside and gingerly sit in a chair at the table to hand quilt the border I started yesterday. As I thread my needle the kitten - who has been let back in - runs across the table where I sit. But, there is justice in the world. Dear kitty's paw finds the needle before I do and now she's whining in Sweetie's lap. Murphy five; Me one.
Just as I was getting up to savor that first cup of java, the lights went out and I stumbled over our kitten. Now I have a bruised right knee and a sore wrist. Murphy one; me zero.
But life goes on.
Back in my chair, balancing the coffee in one hand and petting Mita with the other (our morning ritual) I am attacked by the kitten again. Now Mita is upset as she does not like coffee baths. Murphy two; me another zero. The power is still off and I'm sitting in the dark, by the way.
The cats are having a little disagreement on the floor and once again I am plodding across the living room in search of the flashlight. I do not have one stashed in the magazine rack next to my chair. In fact there is no flashlight in the livng room. I have discovered a hole in our preps! There is a flashlight the kitchen silverware drawer though, and I make my way there in safety just as the power is turned on. I place the flashlight in the magazine rack "just in case" and sit down again. All is well for about an hour and the wind dies down. Sweetie is still asleep and the cats have made up.
At 7 a.m. it is finally light out and Sweetie walks into the living room asking "where the H-- have you been?" Guess he likes me snuggling next to him! I tell him about the storm and he tells me it's my imagination. I forgive him that remark because he's not yet fully awake.
I decide to venture outside and "take a peek at the damage" and he tells me I'm nuts. Oh well, he's stuck with me now!
Outside, the air is stangely calm and I recall that's how it was one year ago when a tornado came through. By this time I'm around the end of our mobile home and see something flapping off the end of the shed. Kind of expeded damage there as it was quickly built of scrap materials and we've had problems with it before. As I walk behind the shed I see a skunk heading for the woods, his back to me. I make an abrupt turn and head back inside safe and scent free.
By this time Sweetie is getting a bit contankerous and wants his breakfast. I am such a darling I ALWAYS make it for him. With that job out of the way I'm game for a walk so I get dressed. Walking down the hall I notice the back door is open and leaves are flying in the door. It is now nearly 8 a.m. and the temp is 40 degrees so I wear sweatpants and sweatshirt. Out on the road I spook a couple deer crossing the road and continue on my way. Sweetie ought to be out here. It would wake him up proper! The wind has picked up again and I'm heading into it, head bent down and determined to follow my usual two mile route. Halfway through my loop, I am met on the road by some smartass who thinks it's funny to beep the horn and pull up real close. I turn around to tell him a thing or two and discover it's the State Police. "M'am, you really shouldn't be out here alone. There's been an accident on the highway and the driver's run off into the woods in this direction." I tell him I'm headed back and he takes off. About half a mile later I'm now going uphill with the wind at my back and trying to keep my long hair in place; I didn't tie it back before leaving the house. As I crest the hill a man runs across the road...
If he saw me it didn't matter as he kept running. About two minutes later a helicoptor is overhead and the State Trooper buzzes by again.
Once home I come in the door blabbing about the "excitement" as Sweetie is pointing at the kitchen floor but NOT SAYING anything! Murphy three; me another zero. This time it kinda hurts to sit down and I'm not too happy with you know who. And when, oh when will he learn that HE needs to wipe up his spills?
So for a couple hours I decide it's safer to just sit here and read email and the blogs. All is well with the world again.
About 11 a.m. I decide to go pick the beets in the garden. The deer have beat me to all but six of them. Murphy four; me zero.
Seeing as I'm outside I'll stack some firewood. But Sweetie has let the kitten out and she spies another opportunity to score. I won't even bother with the details. Murphy five; me zero.
I come inside and gingerly sit in a chair at the table to hand quilt the border I started yesterday. As I thread my needle the kitten - who has been let back in - runs across the table where I sit. But, there is justice in the world. Dear kitty's paw finds the needle before I do and now she's whining in Sweetie's lap. Murphy five; Me one.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Batch Cooking and Other Musings
Batch Cooking:Woke up this morning fairly well rested and thought of all the things I'd like to accomplish this week - mainly outside the kitchen. So, my first plan of action was to do some batch cooking, as I call it. After a little effort, I now have three meals cooking which will be stretched into a minimum of eight separate meals.
First, I defrosted a huge bag of chicken leg quarters and they're simmering in a pot. Next, I dumped 1-1/2 Cups of white rice, a can of mixed veggies, half a chopped onion and one can of cream of chicken soup in a 9x13 inch cake pan. When the chicken is cooked and cooled I'll debone it and use one cup of chicken pieces for the chicken/rice casserole. The remaining chicken will be packed in ziplock bags and frozen for future meals. The chicken broth will be poured into quart jars and stored in the frig. The chicken skin, scraps and bone will be placed in another container for Lady. Yeah, I know about not feeding a dog chicken bones but, Sweetie has always done this and it's his dog so that's they way life goes around here.
Then, I started a huge pot of chili using the kidney beans I've been soaking for a few days, changing the water three times now. The other half of the onion went in the chili as did the last of two quarts of tomatoes that were not canned last week when we did our final batch. I added a whole can of tomatoe juice to the pot as well as chili powder and garlic powder. Once the chili has cooked (notice I did not cook the beans before adding them to the chili), I'll set some aside for tomorrow's dinner and freeze the rest in one quart containers.
I've also got more swiss chard (the last of the bunch I picked two days ago) simmering in a pot. Some of it will be eaten tonight with the chicken casserole and the remaining will be frozen. I'm already thinking of making a pot of lentil soup either yet today or later this week and adding some chopped swiss chard to it. Part of the chicken broth will make an appearance in the soup. We'll see.
Anyway, we'll be several meals ahead and my time can be spent cutting firewood, raking leaves, washing windows, walking, and rototilling more of the garden.
In other news: talked with my Dad last night and my brother and wife are home from Idaho because her father is dying. If you recall, my brother is ex-Delta Force and now hires himself out as a private contractor. Anyway, Dad discovered that his trip to Cancun (before he heads to Afganistan again) is for a job as a body guard at some big shot's wedding. Seems the guy is a Wall Street biggie. Hmmmm...
And I heard about some former neighbors whose noses have always been tilted rather high. Seems they've lost big time in the market and their 401k's have taken a nose dive too. Dad said it's rather humorous to hear them talk about how "rough" life is getting now that they may have to sell their lake property (as if there will be any buyers for a $1.2 million dollar mini castle) and cancel their three month trip to Europe. Oh well, these economic times will affect all of us.
Thus far in my blog reads today, I think Kunstler's, Mayberry and Staying Alive have been the most enlightening and entertaining. And seeing as I have no further wisdom to contribute, I'll sign off for now. Keep prepping people. Treesong
First, I defrosted a huge bag of chicken leg quarters and they're simmering in a pot. Next, I dumped 1-1/2 Cups of white rice, a can of mixed veggies, half a chopped onion and one can of cream of chicken soup in a 9x13 inch cake pan. When the chicken is cooked and cooled I'll debone it and use one cup of chicken pieces for the chicken/rice casserole. The remaining chicken will be packed in ziplock bags and frozen for future meals. The chicken broth will be poured into quart jars and stored in the frig. The chicken skin, scraps and bone will be placed in another container for Lady. Yeah, I know about not feeding a dog chicken bones but, Sweetie has always done this and it's his dog so that's they way life goes around here.
Then, I started a huge pot of chili using the kidney beans I've been soaking for a few days, changing the water three times now. The other half of the onion went in the chili as did the last of two quarts of tomatoes that were not canned last week when we did our final batch. I added a whole can of tomatoe juice to the pot as well as chili powder and garlic powder. Once the chili has cooked (notice I did not cook the beans before adding them to the chili), I'll set some aside for tomorrow's dinner and freeze the rest in one quart containers.
I've also got more swiss chard (the last of the bunch I picked two days ago) simmering in a pot. Some of it will be eaten tonight with the chicken casserole and the remaining will be frozen. I'm already thinking of making a pot of lentil soup either yet today or later this week and adding some chopped swiss chard to it. Part of the chicken broth will make an appearance in the soup. We'll see.
Anyway, we'll be several meals ahead and my time can be spent cutting firewood, raking leaves, washing windows, walking, and rototilling more of the garden.
In other news: talked with my Dad last night and my brother and wife are home from Idaho because her father is dying. If you recall, my brother is ex-Delta Force and now hires himself out as a private contractor. Anyway, Dad discovered that his trip to Cancun (before he heads to Afganistan again) is for a job as a body guard at some big shot's wedding. Seems the guy is a Wall Street biggie. Hmmmm...
And I heard about some former neighbors whose noses have always been tilted rather high. Seems they've lost big time in the market and their 401k's have taken a nose dive too. Dad said it's rather humorous to hear them talk about how "rough" life is getting now that they may have to sell their lake property (as if there will be any buyers for a $1.2 million dollar mini castle) and cancel their three month trip to Europe. Oh well, these economic times will affect all of us.
Thus far in my blog reads today, I think Kunstler's, Mayberry and Staying Alive have been the most enlightening and entertaining. And seeing as I have no further wisdom to contribute, I'll sign off for now. Keep prepping people. Treesong
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Swiss Chard and Chow Chow
Pictured here is the Rhubarb Swiss Chard from Seeds of Change that I picked yesterday from our garden. Yeah, the garden is still producing swiss chard, though I have completely ignored it for over a month now. I cut the outer leaves first from the plants so the inner leaves can grow larger. The chard is blanched for 10 minutes and packed into quart size Ziplock bags. You may serve chard leaves in salads but you need to have a palate that prefers a taste beyond iceberg lettuce! I prefer to eat the cooked chard plain but serving it with vinegar, bacon drippings or grated parmesan is also good.
The other two photos are of Sweet/Hot Chow Chow from a wonderful little shop in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. Called The Jam Lady because of its scrumptous thimbleberry jams (and other varieties), the shop is a white clapboard house that sits alongside M-26 in Eagle River. They have a great web site at http://www.thimbleberryjamlady.com/ where their full product line is available including ice cream toppings, jams and jellies, chow chow, chow chow relish, and syrups. I love this stuff so much I don't bother to make my own. I doubt I could match their quality and my family knows if they're ever stumped for a gift, give me chow chow! The ingredients listed on my quart of chow chow are as follows: cauliflour, cucumber, onion, green and red peppers, vinegar, wheat flour, dry mustard,sugar, salt, tumeric, pickling spices (cinnamon chips, yellow mustard, dill seed, brown mustard,allspice, cloves, coriander seed, mace, black peppercorns, bay leaf, cardamon, chole chilies, and giner root). Be sure to visit their entire site including the picture of Grandpa John. I prefer the quart jars so there's some left over after I have my share!!
Hell, that's all for now folks. I'm going for a walk and then may finish the binding on a quilt I made last year. Have a great day, Treesong
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Accepting Limitations, Mint Plants and Other Ruminations
On the right is a picture of my mint plants - peppermint and a chocolate mint - growing in a corner garden. I just watered them with the soaking water from the kidney beans (pictured on the left) that I mentioned in yesterday's post. The mint leaves will be picked and laid on an old screen to dry for use in my teas this winter. I don't recall the exact names of the plants; I bought them at our local farm store last summer when they were 4" plants! They're fragrant and don't require any special work to grow.
Medical Equipment: Woke up late today. I'm going through another cycle of this blasted MS and fibromyalgia so my sleep has been intermittent and I'm feeling weary. I tried to knock myself out last night with a sleeping pill and a couple benadryl tablets about two hours before that but, by 4 a.m. I was still thrashing from leg cramps and having difficulty turning my head. But, I'm fortunate to live with a man who accepts my condition and I'm not yet in a wheelchair.
So insomnia led me to think of our medical provisions. Between the two of us we've spent 15 years caring for others. We've met the challenges of everything from Mesothelioma, dimentia, amputations, incontinence, broken limbs, and vertigo to heart conditions, MS and Parkinson's. And, now we're aging ourselves. It's inevitable if you live long enough. So how many of us preppers - especially those age 60 and up - have prepped for some of the aforementioned conditions or just plain old age? Do you own a pair of crutches? A wheelchair or raised toilet seat? How about a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope? A urinal or bedpan? A bath bench that allows you to slide across it so you can sit in the tub/shower? We have all of these things and in the ONE YEAR that we've lived in this home, many of them have been used. Remarkably, I'm the one who has used them the least! The bath bench, crutches and urinal have been most used by either Sweetie or visitors! Sweetie's son had one leg amputated last fall and spent two weeks with us this spring. My father visited in late summer and got sick for three days while here. Incredible, huh? And, being 10 miles out of town we were prepared. Just something to think about.
Other Ruminations: I suspect a lot of us are waiting for the next "rescue" of some financial institution (seeing as there's a pattern with Paulson and buddies), or the next "failure" of a major bank or corporation. Or perhaps we've caught mention of a suspension of trading or that government fella in the UK being chastised for mentioning the "R" word. Or maybe some of us have already grown weary of hearing about any of it and a certain amount of complacency has crep into our thoughts. Myself, I wonder if that's not what these morons are hoping for. I mean, if we grow complacent and get a bit glassy-eyed over all the financial talk and the political mud-slinging between the Repubs and Dems, wouldn't/couldn't the powers that be get a bit more emoldened? But, really, when I carry that line of thought a bit further, I say to myself "Hell, they'll do that anyway."
So, what's a person to do? Well, turn off the news for awhile. Take a walk, savor time with your loved ones, bake a cake and pet your cat! Other than continuing to prep, there's not much any of us can do at this point. Sadly, things will have to deteriorate a whole lot more on several fronts before many people do something radical. We are, after all, the peons who the rich and powerful have counted on to keep the game running. If we no longer participate in the game (due to their greed making it impossible for us to do so) than the game's over. And that's when the real uncertainty begins. And uncertainty is disconcerting; it's scary for most people. Knowing what to do, even if it's not what you want to do, is better than not knowing/uncertainty.
In my mind, one thing is certain. Life as we know it will never be again. This is both a good and not so good thing. The question is, do you know the difference?
Is it a bad thing that people without 20-25% down can no longer buy a home? Is it a bad thing that our inflated home prices are exposed for the illusion that they are? Is it a bad thing that our convenient, consumptive lives built on plenty of credit are no longer possible? Is it a bad thing that words like "scrimping", "saving", "downsizing" "making do", "gardening", "home cooking", and "lowering expectations" will likely be associated with the words "wisdom" and "prudent" and no longer be seen as denegrating the person or their lifestyle? In other words, will the words "careless" and "wasteful" and "reckless" be assoiciated with people who continue to do everything possible to maintain their illusions of "status" and "wealth" and "success"?
As all the schemes play out and our lives begin to transform, those who've recognized the errors of "globalization" and "conspitious consumption" and their associated costs will take comfort in being less affected and better prepared to weather the coming changes. And that's a good thing.
Well, it's time to take my own advice. I'm going out for a walk, Treesong
Friday, October 10, 2008
Pictures of Our Supper
Hmmm....love the smell of sauerkraut, onions, apples and pork. And let's not forget the potatoes!
So, I thought I'd share my steps to this yummy dinner. Pictures are upper left to right:
I've sauteed onion slices in a separate pan while the pork chops are browned in the large pan. Then the onions are added to the pork and the sauerkraut is browned in the small pan and added to the large pan. Next the peeled, sliced apples are placed on top of the sauerkraut/pork chops and the potatoes are added to that. The pan was covered while the chops browned and between each addition of another item. Once it's all together, the pan is covered and simmers for about half an hour. It's hot hear today so I'm cooking on the propane range.
We're watching the news and will have dinner about 6:30 p.m. 'cause we had a late lunch. Of course the smells are so good I'm feeling full already! Have a great one everyone, Treesong
French Onion Pie and a Few Other Tips
When we did our monthly shopping, we bought a 10# bag of Michigan grown onions at the local vegetable stand. They're about softball size and starting to go bad so I chopped up the whole bag full and froze them in quart size zip-lock bags. I saved the orange mesh bag for making pot scrubbers! Remember, the idea is to not throw things away.
While chopping onions and wiping away my tears, I was reminded of an old family favorite: French Onion Pie. My mother's family was French and this was served every Christmas along with pork pie, head cheese and a few other specialties. Aside from toasted tomato sandwiches, my other favorites are onion sandwiches and Reuben sandwiches.
French Onion Pie:
3 Cups sliced onion rings (NOT chopped onions), 3 Tablespoons sour cream, 3 eggs, 3 teaspoons butter, a few shakes of salt, pepper and sugar.
I make a pie crust with lots of butter and a bit of shortening so the flavor compliments the pie.
Preheat over to 375 degrees. In a bowl mix the 3 eggs and the sour cream. In a fry pan melt the butter and add the sliced onions to it. Cook until the onions are golden, not brown. Remove from heat and add the onions to the sour cream/egg mixture. Add a touch of salt, pepper and sugar to the mixture and blend well. Pout the mixture into the unbaked pie crust and top with a lattice crust, if you prefer. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Tips:
I put two cups of dried kidney beans in a bowl with six cups of water to soak until tomorrow. When I'm ready to drain and rinse the beans, I KEEP the soaking water and use it to water houseplants or outdoor plants. I'm convinced it adds nutrients to the soil. Have done the same thing with dishpans full of water left over from scrubbing garden produce. Why pour sand and nutrients down the drain?
We're as guilty as the next person of not knowing what's in the frig and often opening a new bottle of something when it's lurking somewhere among the chilled produce, leftovers, milk carton and so forth. So, Yesterday, while CLEANING the frig - which means removing everything - I decided to try a little experiment. Every night, as I'm preparing supper, I gather up various bottles of sauces, dressings, pickles and jellies and challenge myself to use some of them in the evening's meal. It's going to make for some interesting meals! Last night I mixed together partial jars of strawberry jam, apple butter and about half a cup of maple syrup. This morning my new "syrup" was on the pancakes and we had a bit more room in the frig. Today, we had leftover Spanish Rice for lunch (there's another supper's worth still in the frig) and I added a partial bottle of ketchup to it. Another empty bottle!
Tonight we're having sauerkraut, potatoes and pork made in my #9 Griswold fry pan. We have two apples in the fruit drawer that are looking a bit poor. I'll slice them into the sauerkraut; it cuts the acidity.
Well, time to take a walk and see what the rest of our little world looks like. Treesong
While chopping onions and wiping away my tears, I was reminded of an old family favorite: French Onion Pie. My mother's family was French and this was served every Christmas along with pork pie, head cheese and a few other specialties. Aside from toasted tomato sandwiches, my other favorites are onion sandwiches and Reuben sandwiches.
French Onion Pie:
3 Cups sliced onion rings (NOT chopped onions), 3 Tablespoons sour cream, 3 eggs, 3 teaspoons butter, a few shakes of salt, pepper and sugar.
I make a pie crust with lots of butter and a bit of shortening so the flavor compliments the pie.
Preheat over to 375 degrees. In a bowl mix the 3 eggs and the sour cream. In a fry pan melt the butter and add the sliced onions to it. Cook until the onions are golden, not brown. Remove from heat and add the onions to the sour cream/egg mixture. Add a touch of salt, pepper and sugar to the mixture and blend well. Pout the mixture into the unbaked pie crust and top with a lattice crust, if you prefer. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Tips:
I put two cups of dried kidney beans in a bowl with six cups of water to soak until tomorrow. When I'm ready to drain and rinse the beans, I KEEP the soaking water and use it to water houseplants or outdoor plants. I'm convinced it adds nutrients to the soil. Have done the same thing with dishpans full of water left over from scrubbing garden produce. Why pour sand and nutrients down the drain?
We're as guilty as the next person of not knowing what's in the frig and often opening a new bottle of something when it's lurking somewhere among the chilled produce, leftovers, milk carton and so forth. So, Yesterday, while CLEANING the frig - which means removing everything - I decided to try a little experiment. Every night, as I'm preparing supper, I gather up various bottles of sauces, dressings, pickles and jellies and challenge myself to use some of them in the evening's meal. It's going to make for some interesting meals! Last night I mixed together partial jars of strawberry jam, apple butter and about half a cup of maple syrup. This morning my new "syrup" was on the pancakes and we had a bit more room in the frig. Today, we had leftover Spanish Rice for lunch (there's another supper's worth still in the frig) and I added a partial bottle of ketchup to it. Another empty bottle!
Tonight we're having sauerkraut, potatoes and pork made in my #9 Griswold fry pan. We have two apples in the fruit drawer that are looking a bit poor. I'll slice them into the sauerkraut; it cuts the acidity.
Well, time to take a walk and see what the rest of our little world looks like. Treesong
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Substitute This For That
I've never been facinated with gadgets: blenders, bread machines, electric knives and can openers and that flat piece of plastic with various size holes in it to "measure" spaghetti. While we do have a few electrified gadgets - a 30-year-old waffle maker and a toaster and microwave bought at Goodwill - our less is more lifestyle is reflected throughout our home.
We have 10 Griswold cast iron fry pans and two Griswold dutch ovens; a marble rolling pin, flour sifter and a dough knife; plenty of bread, cake and pie pans and cookie sheets; several stainless steel or enamel coffee pots with their "innards"; a kraut cutter and two Red Wing crocks; a pottery water cooler and a butter churn; a four-sided grater and a coffee grinder.
I've lived most of my life without the "conveniences" that took up space, cost a lot and needed various parts to clean and maintain. If you want to "practice" doing without, start with the inside of your home. Next time you're doing household chores how about substituting a whisk for a blender or mixer; a clothesline for a dryer; a broom for a floor vacuum; a tub, wringer and washboard for a washer; a cast iron waffle maker (used on a wood stove) for an electric waffle iron; a four-sided grater and some arm motion with a block of cheese for the pre-grated packages; a cutting board and sharp knife for those blasted choppers; and a well-seasoned cast iron fry pan for those sandwich machines or George Foreman grills?
The picture above is a small sampling to give the timid some inspiration!
Random Thoughts and Gluten Free Desserts
Today I'm been in a pensive mood. Whole string of random thoughts going through my head.
Like - Have you ever noticed how when someone disagrees with another's perspective or opinion that this feeling of hate wells up inside them? Have you ever spent the day wondering "whatever happened to..." especially in relation to certain people who've passed through your life? Do you listen to your children or grandkids say things like, "I'll never get THAT old," or "I can't wait for (insert whatever phrase you like here)," and recalled the times you said that very thing. And in a way, that time seems so long ago or was it just yesterday?
Gluten Free Desserts: I have a wheat allergy but tend to just "watch what I eat" instead of following a strict diet. Thought I'd share a couple gluten free dessert recipes. They'd be great for anyone at anytime regardless of allergies especially if you're low on flour.
Gluten-free Chocolate Macaroons
4 oz. flaked coconut, 1-14oz. can sweetened condensed milk, 4 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted. Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well and drop by teaspoonful onto a well-greased baking sheet. Bake at 350degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove IMMEDIATELY from baking sheet and cool.
Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies
1 Cup peanut butter, 1 C. sugar, 1 egg, beaten, 1 teas. baking soda. Combine ingredients in bowl and mix well. Form into 1" balls; place on lightly greased baking sheet. BAke at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from sheet.
Canning the Last of the Garden: Today, we canned the last seven quarts of tomatoes from our garden. Other than pulling the beets, rutabegas and carrots, I think the garden is done producing. The deer and turkeys have been moving into the yard every morning and evening and the leaves are falling fast. Today, it's extremely windy and we're watching to see if any trees come down. There are four poplars swaying like they're taking a bow at the end of a performance. The poplars are far from the house but close to Sweetie's STUFF piled on pallets beneath a pond liner. Hopefully they'll stand until he gets out there with the chainsaw.
Tonight's Supper: We had just over a quart of tomatoes left in the pot after filling our seven quarts for the canner. So, I thawed a pound of hamburger, diced some green pepper that was in the veggie draw, and made Spanish Rice. As usual, I cook enough for another meal. Maybe it will be lunch tomorrow. I have froze the Spanish Rice but we did not like the texture of the rice when it thawed. Sweetie got a call from his mom to go next door and clean out her cupboards. Not much there but he came home with half a bag of marshmellows (something I never buy), an unopened bottle of Caro Syrup (again, I don't buy it), and four boxes of Rice Krispies. So guess what I whipped up for a dessert? Haven't made Rice Krispie treat since my 30-something children were kids! Oh well, not about to throw out free food.
Well, I have no further inspiration today. Feel like sitting with Mita the wonder cat and watching the trees sway. Take care, Treesong
Like - Have you ever noticed how when someone disagrees with another's perspective or opinion that this feeling of hate wells up inside them? Have you ever spent the day wondering "whatever happened to..." especially in relation to certain people who've passed through your life? Do you listen to your children or grandkids say things like, "I'll never get THAT old," or "I can't wait for (insert whatever phrase you like here)," and recalled the times you said that very thing. And in a way, that time seems so long ago or was it just yesterday?
Gluten Free Desserts: I have a wheat allergy but tend to just "watch what I eat" instead of following a strict diet. Thought I'd share a couple gluten free dessert recipes. They'd be great for anyone at anytime regardless of allergies especially if you're low on flour.
Gluten-free Chocolate Macaroons
4 oz. flaked coconut, 1-14oz. can sweetened condensed milk, 4 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted. Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well and drop by teaspoonful onto a well-greased baking sheet. Bake at 350degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove IMMEDIATELY from baking sheet and cool.
Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies
1 Cup peanut butter, 1 C. sugar, 1 egg, beaten, 1 teas. baking soda. Combine ingredients in bowl and mix well. Form into 1" balls; place on lightly greased baking sheet. BAke at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from sheet.
Canning the Last of the Garden: Today, we canned the last seven quarts of tomatoes from our garden. Other than pulling the beets, rutabegas and carrots, I think the garden is done producing. The deer and turkeys have been moving into the yard every morning and evening and the leaves are falling fast. Today, it's extremely windy and we're watching to see if any trees come down. There are four poplars swaying like they're taking a bow at the end of a performance. The poplars are far from the house but close to Sweetie's STUFF piled on pallets beneath a pond liner. Hopefully they'll stand until he gets out there with the chainsaw.
Tonight's Supper: We had just over a quart of tomatoes left in the pot after filling our seven quarts for the canner. So, I thawed a pound of hamburger, diced some green pepper that was in the veggie draw, and made Spanish Rice. As usual, I cook enough for another meal. Maybe it will be lunch tomorrow. I have froze the Spanish Rice but we did not like the texture of the rice when it thawed. Sweetie got a call from his mom to go next door and clean out her cupboards. Not much there but he came home with half a bag of marshmellows (something I never buy), an unopened bottle of Caro Syrup (again, I don't buy it), and four boxes of Rice Krispies. So guess what I whipped up for a dessert? Haven't made Rice Krispie treat since my 30-something children were kids! Oh well, not about to throw out free food.
Well, I have no further inspiration today. Feel like sitting with Mita the wonder cat and watching the trees sway. Take care, Treesong
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The Debate, Trip To Town, Tonight's Dinner
The Debate: More of the same. I was sitting there completing their sentences most of the time. And why not answer the question about what sacrifices Americans may have to make? For plenty in this country it's high time they realized a "sacrifice" is not missing their Starbucks one day.
Trip To Town: We had one appointment and decided we'd make a couple other stops while in town. Who knows when we'll be there again? Surely, not before November 1st. So while Sweetie was at the doctor's I was at the local resale shop. It's operated by a group of churches and I used to enjoy stopping there. But, like everything else, they've raised their prices. Thankfully, they still have their "bag room." Everything you can stuff in a paper grocery bag is $3/bag. So I came home with nine men's flannel shirts (one new with tag), a long skirt and matching long sleeved T-shirt, four puzzles, three books, a couple plastic "pour type" food storage containers, a pair of shoes (they currently sell for $29.99 at Walmart) and a box of note cards.
Tonight's Dinner: Nothing out of the freezer today. Going to cook a pot of stew on the wood stove. Will use one can of beef, carrots from the garden, leftover green beans, some diced onion, a couple potatoes, and thicken the beef juice with a little cornstarch and garlic powder. Trying to eat more fruit so I dug out a couple small cans of apricots for dessert.
Hope y'all enjoyed the "apron" post. I am one of those rare birds who wears one almost every day. Three of mine are considered "vintage", one is a Pillsbury blue and white stiped affair that's very heavy.
Don't know if anyone else has done this but I'll pass it along. This is the season for deer feed; plenty of carrots, sugar beets and corn stacked up at the roadside stands. Well, Miss Frugal here did not have any luck with carrots in the garden last year so one day I told the Sweetie to pick up a bag of "deer carrots." He promptly told me we could not afford to start feeding the deer! "Silly man," I said, "the carrots are for us." He gave me a strange look and then said, "why not?"
Deer carrots are the culls from the field that processors leave behind because they know us picky consumers gotta have straight, long, uniform carrots. But, MOST of those bags of deer carrots are straight, long and uniform. And if you can't manage to peel a crooked carrot, well, I guess you're just physically challenged.
Later, Treesong
Trip To Town: We had one appointment and decided we'd make a couple other stops while in town. Who knows when we'll be there again? Surely, not before November 1st. So while Sweetie was at the doctor's I was at the local resale shop. It's operated by a group of churches and I used to enjoy stopping there. But, like everything else, they've raised their prices. Thankfully, they still have their "bag room." Everything you can stuff in a paper grocery bag is $3/bag. So I came home with nine men's flannel shirts (one new with tag), a long skirt and matching long sleeved T-shirt, four puzzles, three books, a couple plastic "pour type" food storage containers, a pair of shoes (they currently sell for $29.99 at Walmart) and a box of note cards.
Tonight's Dinner: Nothing out of the freezer today. Going to cook a pot of stew on the wood stove. Will use one can of beef, carrots from the garden, leftover green beans, some diced onion, a couple potatoes, and thicken the beef juice with a little cornstarch and garlic powder. Trying to eat more fruit so I dug out a couple small cans of apricots for dessert.
Hope y'all enjoyed the "apron" post. I am one of those rare birds who wears one almost every day. Three of mine are considered "vintage", one is a Pillsbury blue and white stiped affair that's very heavy.
Don't know if anyone else has done this but I'll pass it along. This is the season for deer feed; plenty of carrots, sugar beets and corn stacked up at the roadside stands. Well, Miss Frugal here did not have any luck with carrots in the garden last year so one day I told the Sweetie to pick up a bag of "deer carrots." He promptly told me we could not afford to start feeding the deer! "Silly man," I said, "the carrots are for us." He gave me a strange look and then said, "why not?"
Deer carrots are the culls from the field that processors leave behind because they know us picky consumers gotta have straight, long, uniform carrots. But, MOST of those bags of deer carrots are straight, long and uniform. And if you can't manage to peel a crooked carrot, well, I guess you're just physically challenged.
Later, Treesong
Grandma's Apron
I received this in an email today and thought I'd pass it along.
The History of 'APRONS'
I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few. It was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material but, along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussychicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner. It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ' old-time apron' that served so many purposes. Send this to those who would know (and love) the story about Grandma's aprons. REMEMBER: Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw. They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron.
The History of 'APRONS'
I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few. It was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material but, along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussychicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner. It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ' old-time apron' that served so many purposes. Send this to those who would know (and love) the story about Grandma's aprons. REMEMBER: Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw. They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Today's Decisions and Thoughts
We've lowered the price on this place by $5,100. Don't know if it will do any good but, after investigating area sales and prices, it seemed there wasn't much choice. According to info from our realtor: four homes in the $30,000 - $70,000 range sold in this county in Sept. of the nearly 300 that were listed. ONLY four homes. Then she had us look at the homes currently listed in that price range. Not good news for us. You can buy (if you have cash of financing, both big IFs nowadays) a 1,800 sq. ft. ranch home with a garage on anywhere form 1/4 to one acre for LESS than we're asking for our place on 10 acres!!! Also, when we listed this place on July 9th, nearly 90 days ago, there were eight mobile homes on acreage - not lots - up for sale. Two of those were removed from the market, and the remaining six sold BEFORE Sept. 3rd. There are currently TWO mobile homes on the market in the aforementioned price range in this entire county.
So, in view of this news, we're hunkering down. If we've not sold by the time our listing expires, we won't list again until spring or summer. We're going north for a visit later this month and have decided to try to convince my father to come here for the winter. He's 80 in November, losing his memory, falls often, lives alone and has nine steps up to his front door. NO ONE in the family is willing to take him in and they all work other than my oldes son who would not be a good choice anyway. My two sisters who live nearby work as do their husbands; my brother is in Afghanistan now. He's what I call a hired gun - trains swat teams and works undercover, etc. He's no longer in Delta Force but I assume knows what they're up to.
Today is day five of the freezer experiment. We're eating leftover lasagna to day so no withdrawal from the freezer.
I have another seven quarts of tomatoes to can today and think I'll can some butter too. I'm also thinking of cooking all the chicken in the freezer and canning the broth for use later. This frees up some space in the freezer and means we're less affected when the power goes out. After intermittent rain for days on end we now have our usual few weeks of high winds. Last year we were without power six times, the longest for two days. Another consideration is to just cook and debone the chicken and can the meat and broth together. Time will tell. I'm a woman and that means I can EASILY change my mind.
A load of wash is already hanging outside. It will dry in 10 minutes. I've removed about half the window screens, washed them and put them in a closet. Last winter we discovered this gave us more daylight and made it easier to clean the indside of the windows. I'm kind of picky about that as I like a crystal clear view of our woods!
And now the Fed is going to pump in more money - this time via supporting commercial paper. And so the game continues. I still feel it's not going to get things back to "normal." What has passed for normal in this country for a few decades now is really abnormal though people "bought" into the idea that they don't know any better.
So, in view of this news, we're hunkering down. If we've not sold by the time our listing expires, we won't list again until spring or summer. We're going north for a visit later this month and have decided to try to convince my father to come here for the winter. He's 80 in November, losing his memory, falls often, lives alone and has nine steps up to his front door. NO ONE in the family is willing to take him in and they all work other than my oldes son who would not be a good choice anyway. My two sisters who live nearby work as do their husbands; my brother is in Afghanistan now. He's what I call a hired gun - trains swat teams and works undercover, etc. He's no longer in Delta Force but I assume knows what they're up to.
Today is day five of the freezer experiment. We're eating leftover lasagna to day so no withdrawal from the freezer.
I have another seven quarts of tomatoes to can today and think I'll can some butter too. I'm also thinking of cooking all the chicken in the freezer and canning the broth for use later. This frees up some space in the freezer and means we're less affected when the power goes out. After intermittent rain for days on end we now have our usual few weeks of high winds. Last year we were without power six times, the longest for two days. Another consideration is to just cook and debone the chicken and can the meat and broth together. Time will tell. I'm a woman and that means I can EASILY change my mind.
A load of wash is already hanging outside. It will dry in 10 minutes. I've removed about half the window screens, washed them and put them in a closet. Last winter we discovered this gave us more daylight and made it easier to clean the indside of the windows. I'm kind of picky about that as I like a crystal clear view of our woods!
And now the Fed is going to pump in more money - this time via supporting commercial paper. And so the game continues. I still feel it's not going to get things back to "normal." What has passed for normal in this country for a few decades now is really abnormal though people "bought" into the idea that they don't know any better.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Today's Supper and Other News
Tonight's Supper: So, I think this is day three (or maybe four) of the Food From the Freezer experiment. I let a package of ground beef unthaw and cooked it up with some diced onion, garlic and basil. Added a 2 Cup measure of canned tomatoes left in the pot from my last batch of canning 7 quarts. Decided to make lasagna as I realized tha container of unopened cottage cheese in the frig was dated Sept 24. A bit more poking around in the frig and I came up with a half jar of salsa (a brand we don't like) and two sliced tomatoes in a Ziplock container. So, I chopped the tomatoes, mixed them with the salsa and poured that over the top of the lasagna. I don't make salsa and we rarely eat it so it had not spoiled. Got to be more vigilent about what's in the frig. Life was easier when I didn't have a frig - and quieter.
The lasagna is in a 9x12 inch pan covered with tin foil - which has been washed and reused numerous times now - and sitting on the woodstove. Yeah, silly, you don't really need an oven to make lots of things you typically "bake" in the oven. I don't boil the lasagna noodles. Just layer them as usual in the pan and make your sauce a little bit juicier.
Called My Sons: I have two sons, ages 30 and 33. The younger son has owned his own business since age 17; the older son owns two homes and rents out one of them. The younger son has two children and pays hefty child support on both of them; the older son has no children. Both are single and living alone. Both have multiple TVs, TWO cell phones each (plus youngest son's two children each have cell phones that he pays for); a godzillion DVDs/CDs and assorted adult toys like snowmobiles, ATVs, personal watercraft, numerous pets and some debt besides. Gotta keep with that typical American lifestyle, you know.
So, here's Miss Back-to-The-Lander Mom (as they refer to me), sitting here in the country, "prepared for Armageddon" (as they say), and I express concern about them. Guess it's that maternal instint. Youngest son says his business is down but it's been down for three years so he's working harder on customer service and branching out into complimentary "facets" of his business. He seldom ever cooks at home and only stocks Minute Rice, when he does. He's a vegetarian and rents a house in town about half a mile from his business. He spends LOTS on his children every weekend during visitation (Candyland Dad syndrom) and again at birthdays and holidays. He has whittled his business debt down from $250,000 to $62,000 in two years and has no personal debt. He has one full time and one part time employee and none have benefits. He has some retirement investments and life insurance. Older son is another matter; eats out every day of his life except when he invites his brother or sister over for a meal once a month. Just talked to him and he said he paid off a bunch of old bills to help his bad credit and is just about broke. The dummy does this repeatedly; builds up his cash, spends nearly every cent in one swoop and then struggles until he has it built up again. But, he claims he has to do this because he has no credit. Yeah, if you don't have credit you need to operate on cash - but to then turn around and spend it all is suicide. And we have all, over the years, helped him out of a few rough spots.
So Miss Back-to-the-Lander told oldest son he needs to buy some food and stay home. He laughed. I asked if he was aware of the government/financial fiasco. He said, "Hell, mom, that ain't enterainment (think some of us would disagree)!" So, as usual, I said, "One of these days you're going to wish you had listened to me."
Oldest son is one of those charmers. He said, "Mom, that's why we all want you to move up here. We miss you and we know you'll take care of us. You're stocked for Armageddon, remember?"
So I gave up for now and left him with this thought: "If we don't manage to get up there before it all goes to hell, then what are you going to do?" He said he'd call me back later.
Whatever!
The lasagna is in a 9x12 inch pan covered with tin foil - which has been washed and reused numerous times now - and sitting on the woodstove. Yeah, silly, you don't really need an oven to make lots of things you typically "bake" in the oven. I don't boil the lasagna noodles. Just layer them as usual in the pan and make your sauce a little bit juicier.
Called My Sons: I have two sons, ages 30 and 33. The younger son has owned his own business since age 17; the older son owns two homes and rents out one of them. The younger son has two children and pays hefty child support on both of them; the older son has no children. Both are single and living alone. Both have multiple TVs, TWO cell phones each (plus youngest son's two children each have cell phones that he pays for); a godzillion DVDs/CDs and assorted adult toys like snowmobiles, ATVs, personal watercraft, numerous pets and some debt besides. Gotta keep with that typical American lifestyle, you know.
So, here's Miss Back-to-The-Lander Mom (as they refer to me), sitting here in the country, "prepared for Armageddon" (as they say), and I express concern about them. Guess it's that maternal instint. Youngest son says his business is down but it's been down for three years so he's working harder on customer service and branching out into complimentary "facets" of his business. He seldom ever cooks at home and only stocks Minute Rice, when he does. He's a vegetarian and rents a house in town about half a mile from his business. He spends LOTS on his children every weekend during visitation (Candyland Dad syndrom) and again at birthdays and holidays. He has whittled his business debt down from $250,000 to $62,000 in two years and has no personal debt. He has one full time and one part time employee and none have benefits. He has some retirement investments and life insurance. Older son is another matter; eats out every day of his life except when he invites his brother or sister over for a meal once a month. Just talked to him and he said he paid off a bunch of old bills to help his bad credit and is just about broke. The dummy does this repeatedly; builds up his cash, spends nearly every cent in one swoop and then struggles until he has it built up again. But, he claims he has to do this because he has no credit. Yeah, if you don't have credit you need to operate on cash - but to then turn around and spend it all is suicide. And we have all, over the years, helped him out of a few rough spots.
So Miss Back-to-the-Lander told oldest son he needs to buy some food and stay home. He laughed. I asked if he was aware of the government/financial fiasco. He said, "Hell, mom, that ain't enterainment (think some of us would disagree)!" So, as usual, I said, "One of these days you're going to wish you had listened to me."
Oldest son is one of those charmers. He said, "Mom, that's why we all want you to move up here. We miss you and we know you'll take care of us. You're stocked for Armageddon, remember?"
So I gave up for now and left him with this thought: "If we don't manage to get up there before it all goes to hell, then what are you going to do?" He said he'd call me back later.
Whatever!
The Rip-Off Continues & Other Musings
So, if I heard accurately on the news last night, Paulson is going to "outsource" the "bailout" jobs to his buddies on Wall Street - the very people who created the mess to begin with. And when someone in Congress made a similar remark to him about his latest ploy, he waved his hand and pronounced there would be "oversight!" I was thinking then that if one could virtually interact with their TV screen it would have been a good time to take aim.
Of course, people are "suffering" now and feeling real uneasy because they're 401's and so forth are heading south, more layoffs have been announced (at least around here), and our realtor says the phones in the office have STOPPED ringing AND thus far, I've heard lots of people say those jackasses in government need to DO SOMETHING! Well, when an artery is severed and one tries to stop the bleeding with a bandaid, it's too little, too late. Death is imminent.
Sweetie just called the scrap yard about "short steel" as he has one more load to haul in there. The price from one week ago fell from $2.30 to $1.25. So now he says he'll just hold it. I dunno...
Our road has one less real estate sign as of yesterday. The owners were there yesterday to winterize the place and store some of their watercraft in the pole barn. They're in their mid-30's; both have good jobs, two children, three cars and THREE homes, plus all the trappings to go with EACH home. I was nosey and wondering if they had sold the place or the listing expired so I walked over to the lot line and said, "Hello neighbor." Seems the listing expired (it's been on the market for two years with two different companies) and they're now going to list it on Craigslist. Seeing as they're doing so well, I was curious if they noticed any "downturn" in the economy. We talked for about 45 minutes and basically their point of view is this: "the poor people are suffering more and those who don't manage their money well." And, "we've both got good jobs so we're not affected and I can't imagine that we ever will be." And finally, "if people would just decide to get out and work, there wouldn't be all these problems!"
Uh, huh.
In my comments yesterdays I mentioned Sweetie's mother. She's 96 and still going strong. She was the youngest sibling in her family and they all lived into their late 80's-90's. Unfortunately, I doubt that HER children will do likewise. Sweetie is the youngest as 65 and has emphazema, his 75-year-old brother has prostate cancer, his 78-year-old sister has lung cancer and his 68-year-old sister is supposedly the picture of health but no one likes her. Take from that what you will.
We loaded two woodstoves on the small trailer yesterday and have them under cover with tarps. Guess we're making one trip up north yet this month to see my family and we'll haul the trailer up then. The plan was to haul in the scrap, build sides on the flatbed trailer and load it with Sweetie's STUFF which is now stacked on pallets and covered with a rubber pond liner - we have no garage or pole barn. Sounds like our portable storage idea is on hold for awhile. Well, what are you going to do? The economy sucks and it affects EVERYONE regardless of what the people next door think. So we'll sit here and go about our daily chores and hope for a miracle or two. Prices are dropping where we want to move to but of course it's the same story here. Oh well, time for breakfast. Have a great day, Treesong
Of course, people are "suffering" now and feeling real uneasy because they're 401's and so forth are heading south, more layoffs have been announced (at least around here), and our realtor says the phones in the office have STOPPED ringing AND thus far, I've heard lots of people say those jackasses in government need to DO SOMETHING! Well, when an artery is severed and one tries to stop the bleeding with a bandaid, it's too little, too late. Death is imminent.
Sweetie just called the scrap yard about "short steel" as he has one more load to haul in there. The price from one week ago fell from $2.30 to $1.25. So now he says he'll just hold it. I dunno...
Our road has one less real estate sign as of yesterday. The owners were there yesterday to winterize the place and store some of their watercraft in the pole barn. They're in their mid-30's; both have good jobs, two children, three cars and THREE homes, plus all the trappings to go with EACH home. I was nosey and wondering if they had sold the place or the listing expired so I walked over to the lot line and said, "Hello neighbor." Seems the listing expired (it's been on the market for two years with two different companies) and they're now going to list it on Craigslist. Seeing as they're doing so well, I was curious if they noticed any "downturn" in the economy. We talked for about 45 minutes and basically their point of view is this: "the poor people are suffering more and those who don't manage their money well." And, "we've both got good jobs so we're not affected and I can't imagine that we ever will be." And finally, "if people would just decide to get out and work, there wouldn't be all these problems!"
Uh, huh.
In my comments yesterdays I mentioned Sweetie's mother. She's 96 and still going strong. She was the youngest sibling in her family and they all lived into their late 80's-90's. Unfortunately, I doubt that HER children will do likewise. Sweetie is the youngest as 65 and has emphazema, his 75-year-old brother has prostate cancer, his 78-year-old sister has lung cancer and his 68-year-old sister is supposedly the picture of health but no one likes her. Take from that what you will.
We loaded two woodstoves on the small trailer yesterday and have them under cover with tarps. Guess we're making one trip up north yet this month to see my family and we'll haul the trailer up then. The plan was to haul in the scrap, build sides on the flatbed trailer and load it with Sweetie's STUFF which is now stacked on pallets and covered with a rubber pond liner - we have no garage or pole barn. Sounds like our portable storage idea is on hold for awhile. Well, what are you going to do? The economy sucks and it affects EVERYONE regardless of what the people next door think. So we'll sit here and go about our daily chores and hope for a miracle or two. Prices are dropping where we want to move to but of course it's the same story here. Oh well, time for breakfast. Have a great day, Treesong
Sunday, October 5, 2008
More Thoughts
I see in reading my previous post that I neglected to mention our visitor - a daughter of Sweetie's sister. She picked up a box of food for his sister though we refused to tell her what's in the heavily taped box. Nor does his sister know it will be arriving about now - she's three hours from us.
Anyway, our visitor prides herself in being a vegetarian, a born-again Christian and a recycler. But she, like so many others, thinks this country's just going through a tough time and anyway "God will provide for his believers."
So okay, I don't interrupt her little sermon, nor shall I repeat it here. My reason is this, I don't believe in changing minds by preaching (maybe suggesting a bit LOL) and I'm convinced that showing by example gives the best return - like my friend in Tuscon. I am, after all, the only "prepper" she knows though a lot of her friends live in the country, leading the typical American life - drive to town 3-4 times a week, don't grow a garden, eat out frequently, are in debt past their foreheads, and complain about the new fall lineup of TV shows.
But an interesting thing happened today; maybe our visitor had a little epiphany. The dining table is full of tomatoes ripening on brown paper bags; our evening meal was cooking on the woodstove; she admired our firewood - all under cover; she noticed the canning jars/lids/rings and other accessories waiting for the next batch of tomatoes; and she asked how well we're prepared for winter.
Sweetie was sitting in his faithful recliner when she asked this, and I here at the computer. We both just grinned, then Sweetie says, "Well, you've seen the woodpile and the stove and the garden (she was parked next to it), and the canning jars."
She says, "Yeah, but uncle, I know you two don't have much money and prices are really going up. I'm just concerned and thought I'd mention the two of you in prayer." That is about as far as she's willing to go around Sweetie (the reasons for that would be a whole new post).
So Sweetie says, "Well, I guess you haven't talked much to your mom, have you?" His sister had discovered how "prepared" we are while here for a visit last month. "No, I haven't." says the neice. So Sweetie gets up from his chair and says, "Well, let's get that box in your car." He heads for the spare bedroom and she follows. If you're read my previous posts, you have an idea of what she saw.
So as they're headed out the back door to her car, she says, "Gosh, I had no idea that I didn't need to worry about the two of you. Maybe Jerry and I should be doing something like that."
Gotta love it!
In other news: Inventoried my canning lids and rings and decided I'll add to them this week. We have an appointment Wednesday in town and I know of two sources that still have some on their shelves and a friend who has a cupboard full besides (and won't use them, DUH!). I loop our rings on a string and hang them on nails in a closet; easy access and I'm not combing through boxes to find them. The lids are stored in Folger's coffee cans - those new red plastic things.
Tonight's supper is four country style ribs, sweet potatoes and steamed cauliflour. We'll have one rib left over and that will be cut up and mixed with barbeque sauce for sandwiches tomorrow. Monday's meal will likely be some creation made with canned chicken that Sweetie got from the commodity food program. I'm not fond of the chicken but have decided I just need to get more inventive with it. So we'll see what happens.
Speaking of the commodity food program; He gets it due to his income and also a box for his mother. His mom doesn't want any of it except the jar of peanut butter! So she GIVES the rest to us (she has it in her mind we must be starving over here because no one can live on what his SS check is. OH well.) So we have an ample supply of peanut butter, cheese, applesauce, rolled oats, powerdered milk, canned milk (I use this in scalloped potatoes) and an occasional can of veggies or rice or noodles. MOST of that supply is due to the fact that his mom's basement had cases of it that she never used!! He figures the government wastes enough money on just about everything so he may as well accept commodity foods. There is usually one can of beef, chicken or pork in the box he receives so that has increased our meat supply. The pork is our favorite. We have known of people who throw the meat away or donate it to food pantries. Their first option is CRAZY; the second much wiser. Though I am told by three people who operate food pantries in different locations in this state, that even at a pantry people are very picky about what they'll accept. Wonder if that will be the case when they're truly starving.
Well, time to commune with Mita the wonder cat. Later, Treesong
Anyway, our visitor prides herself in being a vegetarian, a born-again Christian and a recycler. But she, like so many others, thinks this country's just going through a tough time and anyway "God will provide for his believers."
So okay, I don't interrupt her little sermon, nor shall I repeat it here. My reason is this, I don't believe in changing minds by preaching (maybe suggesting a bit LOL) and I'm convinced that showing by example gives the best return - like my friend in Tuscon. I am, after all, the only "prepper" she knows though a lot of her friends live in the country, leading the typical American life - drive to town 3-4 times a week, don't grow a garden, eat out frequently, are in debt past their foreheads, and complain about the new fall lineup of TV shows.
But an interesting thing happened today; maybe our visitor had a little epiphany. The dining table is full of tomatoes ripening on brown paper bags; our evening meal was cooking on the woodstove; she admired our firewood - all under cover; she noticed the canning jars/lids/rings and other accessories waiting for the next batch of tomatoes; and she asked how well we're prepared for winter.
Sweetie was sitting in his faithful recliner when she asked this, and I here at the computer. We both just grinned, then Sweetie says, "Well, you've seen the woodpile and the stove and the garden (she was parked next to it), and the canning jars."
She says, "Yeah, but uncle, I know you two don't have much money and prices are really going up. I'm just concerned and thought I'd mention the two of you in prayer." That is about as far as she's willing to go around Sweetie (the reasons for that would be a whole new post).
So Sweetie says, "Well, I guess you haven't talked much to your mom, have you?" His sister had discovered how "prepared" we are while here for a visit last month. "No, I haven't." says the neice. So Sweetie gets up from his chair and says, "Well, let's get that box in your car." He heads for the spare bedroom and she follows. If you're read my previous posts, you have an idea of what she saw.
So as they're headed out the back door to her car, she says, "Gosh, I had no idea that I didn't need to worry about the two of you. Maybe Jerry and I should be doing something like that."
Gotta love it!
In other news: Inventoried my canning lids and rings and decided I'll add to them this week. We have an appointment Wednesday in town and I know of two sources that still have some on their shelves and a friend who has a cupboard full besides (and won't use them, DUH!). I loop our rings on a string and hang them on nails in a closet; easy access and I'm not combing through boxes to find them. The lids are stored in Folger's coffee cans - those new red plastic things.
Tonight's supper is four country style ribs, sweet potatoes and steamed cauliflour. We'll have one rib left over and that will be cut up and mixed with barbeque sauce for sandwiches tomorrow. Monday's meal will likely be some creation made with canned chicken that Sweetie got from the commodity food program. I'm not fond of the chicken but have decided I just need to get more inventive with it. So we'll see what happens.
Speaking of the commodity food program; He gets it due to his income and also a box for his mother. His mom doesn't want any of it except the jar of peanut butter! So she GIVES the rest to us (she has it in her mind we must be starving over here because no one can live on what his SS check is. OH well.) So we have an ample supply of peanut butter, cheese, applesauce, rolled oats, powerdered milk, canned milk (I use this in scalloped potatoes) and an occasional can of veggies or rice or noodles. MOST of that supply is due to the fact that his mom's basement had cases of it that she never used!! He figures the government wastes enough money on just about everything so he may as well accept commodity foods. There is usually one can of beef, chicken or pork in the box he receives so that has increased our meat supply. The pork is our favorite. We have known of people who throw the meat away or donate it to food pantries. Their first option is CRAZY; the second much wiser. Though I am told by three people who operate food pantries in different locations in this state, that even at a pantry people are very picky about what they'll accept. Wonder if that will be the case when they're truly starving.
Well, time to commune with Mita the wonder cat. Later, Treesong
A Visitor Today and Other Items
I woke early this morning and got all my "chores" out of the way before 9 a.m. Breakfast made; dishes done (lots of leftover dishes from yesterday); clean laundry folded and put away from the drying rack and shower rod; gathered up the burnable garbage; made the bed; packed a box of food to be brought to Sweetie's sister and brother-in-law; carried in firewood; Took country style ribs out of the freezer (yeah, I had intended on cooking a roast but changed my mind); and answered a pile of emails.
So the chores are done before the sun is too bright and the temp rises. It's actually supposed to warm up here! Like get to 70 degrees when a couple nights ago it was 28 degrees and 40 something during the day.
So I've been reading some blogs and answering yet more emails. And then, joy of joys, I heard from my friend in Tuscon. She's my best friend though we seldom ever see oneanother. I for one, am not travelling south anytime soon (maybe never) and she no longer owns a home in Michigan. She'd come "home" once a year for the summer and I'd go "home" too and we'd make up for lost time.
So, she emails me today about all the emails she's received regarding "something drastically changing" this fall, like beginning on Oct. 7th. My friend is a New Age kind of believer. I don't argue or try to change her mind. She is she and I is me. But what I'm so happy about is this: despite who/what the messenger was, she now agrees that she "should have been prepping" and "Will start today" and that the "government and it's cronies on Wall Street, the Fed Reserve and a few others" are crooks. And I am so happy she has seen the light.
She a single woman in her early 60's who teaches online and her income fluctuates. She spent many years married to a moron who left her for weeksn on end "while he was working on the road" (away from home) with five children at home, no car and no money and 10 miles out of town. There were other travesties too but, you get the idea. So finally, one day she's had enough and leaves the jerk. She moves into town, files for divorce, gets a home out of the deal and LATE and LATER child support for 12 years. But, she's determined to survive and manages to return to college, gets a BS and a masters, all her kids graduate from high school and three go on to college, and she grows into the smart, resourceful, talented person I always knew was there.
But the thing that always troubled me was this: she'd had it rough financially for YEARS and then when she has a decent income and the kids are gone she fritters away money like she'd just blown on a dandelion that had gone to seed. DAMN!!!
And, she has never had, and still does not have, any retirement account (not that they can be counted on anymore) and - if SS does survive she's contributed to it for a full THREE YEARS! And the weasel she was married to probably contributed twice that much 'cause he usually worked for cash!
Now, she's always been aware of my prepping and cost cutting and scrimping, etc. And she's marvelled at my "ingenuity" and my "stick-to-it" attitude when I could just as easily have been carefree like her. But, despite seeing the advantages of living on less while you have plenty ( or a close approximation thereof), she's just thought it was "too time consuming" and she "didn't want to focu on it" because it reminded her of the struggles she'd had with food, heat, etc.
I'm sitting there thinking - if you know what it was like to struggle when you had nothing, wouldn't having something while you could be a hedge against the lean times?
But, now her mind has changed and one more person just might ride through the coming calamities.
So the chores are done before the sun is too bright and the temp rises. It's actually supposed to warm up here! Like get to 70 degrees when a couple nights ago it was 28 degrees and 40 something during the day.
So I've been reading some blogs and answering yet more emails. And then, joy of joys, I heard from my friend in Tuscon. She's my best friend though we seldom ever see oneanother. I for one, am not travelling south anytime soon (maybe never) and she no longer owns a home in Michigan. She'd come "home" once a year for the summer and I'd go "home" too and we'd make up for lost time.
So, she emails me today about all the emails she's received regarding "something drastically changing" this fall, like beginning on Oct. 7th. My friend is a New Age kind of believer. I don't argue or try to change her mind. She is she and I is me. But what I'm so happy about is this: despite who/what the messenger was, she now agrees that she "should have been prepping" and "Will start today" and that the "government and it's cronies on Wall Street, the Fed Reserve and a few others" are crooks. And I am so happy she has seen the light.
She a single woman in her early 60's who teaches online and her income fluctuates. She spent many years married to a moron who left her for weeksn on end "while he was working on the road" (away from home) with five children at home, no car and no money and 10 miles out of town. There were other travesties too but, you get the idea. So finally, one day she's had enough and leaves the jerk. She moves into town, files for divorce, gets a home out of the deal and LATE and LATER child support for 12 years. But, she's determined to survive and manages to return to college, gets a BS and a masters, all her kids graduate from high school and three go on to college, and she grows into the smart, resourceful, talented person I always knew was there.
But the thing that always troubled me was this: she'd had it rough financially for YEARS and then when she has a decent income and the kids are gone she fritters away money like she'd just blown on a dandelion that had gone to seed. DAMN!!!
And, she has never had, and still does not have, any retirement account (not that they can be counted on anymore) and - if SS does survive she's contributed to it for a full THREE YEARS! And the weasel she was married to probably contributed twice that much 'cause he usually worked for cash!
Now, she's always been aware of my prepping and cost cutting and scrimping, etc. And she's marvelled at my "ingenuity" and my "stick-to-it" attitude when I could just as easily have been carefree like her. But, despite seeing the advantages of living on less while you have plenty ( or a close approximation thereof), she's just thought it was "too time consuming" and she "didn't want to focu on it" because it reminded her of the struggles she'd had with food, heat, etc.
I'm sitting there thinking - if you know what it was like to struggle when you had nothing, wouldn't having something while you could be a hedge against the lean times?
But, now her mind has changed and one more person just might ride through the coming calamities.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Somebody Asked Me
1. Somebody asked me why I prep - cause food/tangibles (not trinkets) have more value than money, you fool.
2. Somebody asked my how we live on so little money - cause we don't "follow the Jones"; we don't buy trinkets and junk; we don't buy "investments" because we'd be perpetuating the top down ponzi scheme. I could go on but, hopefully, you get the idea.
3. Somebody asked me what we do with ourselves so far out of town without neon signs and traffic and noise and "entertainment." Geeesh, 10 miles ain't far out of town, though I'm sure you'd be afraid of the dark seeing as there aren't any streetlights. And the question reminds me of something my father always says: "Everytime I leave the house, I spend money. So I stay home."
4. And, somebody asked me how we afford to have so much stocked - food, toiletries and cleaning supplies; alternate ways to heat, light, and provide water, etc.
I could refer them to my answer to question #2. But clueless people are distracted by that tape in their head. It goes something like this: "If I don't have the latest and greatest, I won't be anybody." Or, "If I don't have the degree or the title, no one will look up to me." Or, "This is the greatest country on earth and I DESERVE everything it has to offer." If you really believe that line, than you deserve the debt, the "credit crunch" and the incessant need to buy more so you can think you are successful and feel better about yourself in the process. Good God, wake up.
5. Somebody asked me how I stand the silence. This person knows that I sometimes spend hours just sitting in my wing chair, feet propped on the ottoman and my cat, Mita, on my lap. If you can't stand the silence you're afraid to truly know yourself. So you seek out the TV blabber, the walkman's, the cell phones, the movies, the company of other people and multiple other diversions because the silence is deafening, scary, in fact.
Try it some time. Just sit in a chair and do nothing but breathe and see how it feels. It is the beginning of revelation.
2. Somebody asked my how we live on so little money - cause we don't "follow the Jones"; we don't buy trinkets and junk; we don't buy "investments" because we'd be perpetuating the top down ponzi scheme. I could go on but, hopefully, you get the idea.
3. Somebody asked me what we do with ourselves so far out of town without neon signs and traffic and noise and "entertainment." Geeesh, 10 miles ain't far out of town, though I'm sure you'd be afraid of the dark seeing as there aren't any streetlights. And the question reminds me of something my father always says: "Everytime I leave the house, I spend money. So I stay home."
4. And, somebody asked me how we afford to have so much stocked - food, toiletries and cleaning supplies; alternate ways to heat, light, and provide water, etc.
I could refer them to my answer to question #2. But clueless people are distracted by that tape in their head. It goes something like this: "If I don't have the latest and greatest, I won't be anybody." Or, "If I don't have the degree or the title, no one will look up to me." Or, "This is the greatest country on earth and I DESERVE everything it has to offer." If you really believe that line, than you deserve the debt, the "credit crunch" and the incessant need to buy more so you can think you are successful and feel better about yourself in the process. Good God, wake up.
5. Somebody asked me how I stand the silence. This person knows that I sometimes spend hours just sitting in my wing chair, feet propped on the ottoman and my cat, Mita, on my lap. If you can't stand the silence you're afraid to truly know yourself. So you seek out the TV blabber, the walkman's, the cell phones, the movies, the company of other people and multiple other diversions because the silence is deafening, scary, in fact.
Try it some time. Just sit in a chair and do nothing but breathe and see how it feels. It is the beginning of revelation.
Day Two Freezer Experiment, Food Storage, Laundry, Etc.
FREEZER EXPERIMENT: This is day two of the freezer experiment. Didn't make any withdrawals yesterday; supper was canned pork casserole and canned asparagus. TODAY will be my first withdrawal - a package of hotdogs. The picture is our supper already cooking: On the right are scalloped potatoes and hotdogs in the 9" square pan and a pan of green beans picked from the garden this morning. The pan on the left is chicken gizzards for Lady. Yes, she lives high on the chicken around here. There was a time when Sweetie cooked chicken gizzards every week for Lady, but she, like us, is on a diet. The gizzards and juice are refrigerated in a food storage container and doled out a couple pieces at a time. The gizzards are not cut ahead of time as they go bad if the membranes on the pieces are cut and then returned to the container. Just in case you're considering eating a batch of chicken gizzards!
We place those round, perforated metal things from canners on our stove to circulate the heat beneath the pans and save wear on the pan bottoms. Can't recall what they're called just now. Oh well.
So tomorrow, I'll fix one of the three roasts in the freezer, some canned sweet potatoes and a veggie to two. The roast will be recycled into at least four meals so there's no need to dip into the freezer again unless I'm retrieving a leftover part of the roast. And, the right hand side of the freezer picture is 8 quarts of blanched swiss chard, one quart of celery and two quarts of green beans (little bits picked every other day that weren't enough to can).
FOOD STORAGE: I was rummaging around in the spare bedroom closet today and realized there's a few things I should rotate more often into our diet. Canned sweet potatoes and applesauce come to mind. Time for an applesauce cake.
In my comments, someone expressed concern about my picture food stored on a table beheath a window without curtains and exposed to sunlight. Appreciate your comments but will add more info here. As mentioned previously, we live 10 miles out of town. We're 400 feet off the gravel road, cannot be seen when leaves are on the trees, have empty homes on all four sides of our acreage, and we are on a hill with 360 degree views of everything else around us. If we were to have nosey visitors/intruders, we'd see them long before they saw us. There actually is a mini blind on the window but it was open to give me more light for the photograph. Sunlight is the least of my concerns as the tems here are in the 30-40 degree range now and the blind is usually closed or partially open. The room is also unheated.
LAUNDRY: I did laundry this morning after my shower. I have a drying rack above the washer/dryer area and hang some things on hangers on the shower/tub rod. Also have a floor model warping board that I no longer use as I no longer have a loom. The pegs on the board are handy hangers for drying things. Today, a blanket is draped/drying over the entire board which sits next to the woodstove. I still hang clothes outside in the fall but we've had intermittent rain for four days. Neither of us work outside our home so we don't "dress for success" and wear the same thing two to three days in a row. This means two to three loads a week; one load white, one load colored, one load bedding. Life is simple here, no need to complicate it!
OTHER MUSINGS & TIPS: I'm thinking a lot today about the little things I've done along the way that help us out now. Some examples are: Sweetie's mother was the paper towel queen. She used rolls of it a week! We lived with her for a time, taking care of her and setting this place set up. So one day, I get disguested when I realize all those cardboard paper towel rolls are going in the burn barrel. I start saving them - and her dryer lint - and EVERYONE calls me anal. Well, guess what our firestarters have been for the past year? So there.
And then about 18 months ago, an elderly friend of Sweetie's mother asked me to clean her house once a week while she was recuperating from hip surgery. She bought THREE newspapers everyday and threw them all in the garbage or stacked them in cardboard boxes in her garage. How handy for me when I loaded the boxes in our truck and hauled them home. Once home, I sorted through the newspapers, picking out the shiny stuff. I've used the newspaper for garden mulch, packing Ebay orders last fall (not selling anything now), pre-packing some of our stuff for our eventual move north, building fires in the woodstove, packing customer purchases at our every weekend garage sale we held last year - and I still have three boxes of newspaper left! All that from a cleaning job that equaled four visits.
Another thing is haircuts. I haven't seen the inside of a hairdresser in years! I don't cut my hair. It's long enough now to sit on and about once a month I trim off a quarter inch. Sweetie has a beard and I use a pair of barber's clippers, a comb and scizzors to cut his hair. So...once again, we aren't spending money. I've switched to Dr. Bronner's soaps for all our haircare, bathing and dishwashing. It seems expensive at first but it's a concentrated, multi-purpose product. I ordered online at Bronner's as the closest place for me to buy it is an 80 mile round trip. I also have a type of dermatitis on my scalp but a rinse with apple cider vinegar and my eyes closed has really helped that problem.
I had a home-canned jar of bread and butter pickles in the frig and it didn't seem we were eating it very fast. Just as I was about to open another jar of relish I had an "ah-ha moment". Next thing you know those pickles were drained, ground up and sitting in the old relish jar. I add a tablespoon of relish to tuna salad and chicken salad so it gets used around here for more than a "condiment."
Well, time to take a walk before the rain comes again. Thanks everyone for your comments. Treesong
Friday, October 3, 2008
Pictures of Part of Our Food Storage
From top left to right: Spare bedroom closet, the freezer, on top of a table in the spare bedroom, the former broom closet, and the last two pics are home canned goods in a bedroom closet. Small spaces around here so I couldn't photograph the whole hieght of a few storage spots. There is little food in the kitchen cupboards because I have so few of them but, anything I need is a few short steps away.
We're really eating food now that was grown of purchased from nine months to a year ago. Wish I had tallyed what that cost us then. And were we to stop growing or buying now I have no doubt we could last two years before buying again. Of course, the point is to keep accumulating and adhering to the First In/First Out rule.
One thing I've noticed is that we're eating less than we used to. Think that's part of aging, less appetite. So conceivably, our stores could last longer than two years. Mind you, these pictures are a PORTION of what we have. To us it's better than money in the bank.
Well, enough for now. I'm going to check the garden for more tomatoes, maybe the final crop of green beans and add to the compost pile on my way there. Take care with how you spend your time and your money! Treesong
Today's Musings
Just canned seven more quarts of tomatoes. I add chopped onion and garlic to the tomatoes. Saves me from having to add it later on. A couple weeks ago I added chopped, peeled zucchini to the tomatoes plus the onion and garlic. Great way to use all that zucchini.
Been reading various blogs this morning. Check out Mayberry, The Archdruid Report, Some Assembly Required, Survivalblog by Rawles and a few others mentioned on Staying Alive. They express themselves better than I can and have more knowledge than my foggy brain can process.
Should say I will at times sound "foggy." Have MS and fibromyalgia and sometimes the body and brain are a bit contentious.
While blogging, I'm eating a the third portion of that On-going Pot of Soup I mentioned a few days ago. Discovered there were some green beans in the mix. Don't recall just now where they came from but, hey, it fills us up.
I've decided to challenge myself to make the meat in the freezer last two months. Going without meat doesn't bother me but, the Sweetie gets a little gruff if he doesn't see a few mouthfuls every other day at the very least. Ah the challenges of living with another person. LOL
So here's our inventory of meat in the freezer:
Two 12oz. pkgs. bacon, one pkg. hot dogs, two pork roasts, one beef roast, 16 pkg. pork sausage links, 6 oz. pkg. scallops, about 6oz. of shrimp, and 10# chicken thighs and breasts.
There's also an unopened 12oz. pkg. of bacon in the frig. Then we have multiple dozens of canned tuna, corned beef, chicken, beef and pork in the various hiding places around here. Hmmmm...maybe I can stretch that meat for three months!
We're all creatures of habit and I'm no exception, so when preparing a meal I tend to open the freezer for inspiration. The canned meats are utilized but not as much. I'm thinking I should reverse this process for awhile. We're reaching the point where we'll be stacking cases of home canned and store bought items in the living room. Already, two closets, the pantry (former broom closet), the top of a table and beneath two beds are full.
I'm going to poke around in our stores and take a few pictures, just in case there's any doubters out there. Be back later, Treesong
Thursday, October 2, 2008
If I were a drinking person, I'd be plastered!
Well, I watched the vice-presidential debate tonight. Very predictable. Palin winked and enunciated her words like she's one of us "common people" and Biden hammered on John McCain.
Frankly, I don't believe it will make much difference in most people's lives who wins. The real powers in this country are the Wall Streets scums, the lobbyists and the Federal Reserve.
Screw all of them. They're talking the same talk that politicians usually talk and walking the same walk. Except one day real soon they're gonna start wobbling on that balancing bar and fall down and break their pretty tailbones. And that will make me quite happy. I'd like to know there are people lower on the totem pole than me!
And in other news: there are some people in this world who were not in line when brains were passed out. I swear, if I could have put my fist through the phone today, I would have been arrested.
How does one help a person who won't help themselves? The answer, you can't. And yet, I'm always willing to try. I'll give you food when you're hungry; I'll share money-saving tips and recipes for meatloaf. And, I listen and listen and listen as you complain about your circumstances - while watching a rented movie and smoking cigarellos and talking about the third dog you just adopted.
Hello? Did I miss something? Aren't you the gal who's living on a partial SS check and can't manage to hold on to a dollar if it were super glued to your back? Aren't you the one who's always asking for assistance with heat, electric, mobile home payment, truck payment, groceries, dog and cat food, and gas money?
And aren't you the one who has told me numerous times, "I just don't know how you do it."
As a sidebar, she's referring to TWO of us living on ONE-THIRD more than what she get in her partial SS check!!!
In case anybody really wants to know how we "do it", it's simple - WE DON'T SPEND MONEY on frills. In fact, we don't spend money on much of anything. If it's gonna cost us money we ask ourselves three questions: will it SAVE us money in the long run? can we MAKE money on it? or, can we find if for FREE? Many times the answer is NO to all three questions. And that, more than anything, is how we have a nest egg. Not much, but likely more than most folks who live on about $8,000 a year!!!!
Now, I'm not bragging. It's just the facts. When I hear someone say they're struggling to pay for this and that and it's "getting costly" to do this or that, my antenna is up, looking for all the signs of their participation in the mass-market, credit driven, global economy.
And it's always talk about what they're gonna have to "give up." Like it's going to cause a coronary if they have to go without the gym membership, the vacation to the Bahamas, the five TV's and four laptops, the dinners out and the golfing on Sundays.
The only thing they'd really be "giving up" is SPENDING. And don't give me the dribble about "well, if Americans aren't spending the economy will stagnate." Honey, the economy stagnates because people have lived way beyond their means on CREDIT, not SAVINGS, and now the cost has become too high.
We're a CONSUMER based economy that has 3% of the population and uses 25% of the worlds resources, or some such numbers to that effect. I forget now, it's after 2 a.m. so somebody correct me if you'd like.
Anyone with a pea for a brain can figure out that a society can't keep CONSUMING, CONSUMING and not have to eventually pay the piper.
My mother's family lived in a chicken coop during the Great Depression and considered themselves LUCKY. Mom always talked fondly of that time. Can you believe it? Her six aunts and three uncles and their spouses and 14 children all shared one uncle's farm house. Mom's family consisted of her and her parents. After all the chickens were eaten or killed by fox, they moved into the coop. They were the only ones who had their own "home", their own little world where they didn't have to share beds and bathroom facilities (they used the outhouse), and tolerate somebody else's cooking or drunken tirades when one uncle raided the still out back.
My mother saved everything - even our clothe diapers. MY children wore the cloth diapers I wore. I didn't feel I was "giving up" anything for using thoes hand-me-down diapers! I as SAVING. And this was during the beginnings of the Pampers. My friends spend money on convenience. I saved money with a little inconvenience.
God, I hate winers. Especially ones that contribute DAILY to their own problems.
If I were a drinking person tonight I would have been plastered!
Good night, or good morning. I best get some sleep. I'll read this later today and think, God, what a bitch you can be!
Frankly, I don't believe it will make much difference in most people's lives who wins. The real powers in this country are the Wall Streets scums, the lobbyists and the Federal Reserve.
Screw all of them. They're talking the same talk that politicians usually talk and walking the same walk. Except one day real soon they're gonna start wobbling on that balancing bar and fall down and break their pretty tailbones. And that will make me quite happy. I'd like to know there are people lower on the totem pole than me!
And in other news: there are some people in this world who were not in line when brains were passed out. I swear, if I could have put my fist through the phone today, I would have been arrested.
How does one help a person who won't help themselves? The answer, you can't. And yet, I'm always willing to try. I'll give you food when you're hungry; I'll share money-saving tips and recipes for meatloaf. And, I listen and listen and listen as you complain about your circumstances - while watching a rented movie and smoking cigarellos and talking about the third dog you just adopted.
Hello? Did I miss something? Aren't you the gal who's living on a partial SS check and can't manage to hold on to a dollar if it were super glued to your back? Aren't you the one who's always asking for assistance with heat, electric, mobile home payment, truck payment, groceries, dog and cat food, and gas money?
And aren't you the one who has told me numerous times, "I just don't know how you do it."
As a sidebar, she's referring to TWO of us living on ONE-THIRD more than what she get in her partial SS check!!!
In case anybody really wants to know how we "do it", it's simple - WE DON'T SPEND MONEY on frills. In fact, we don't spend money on much of anything. If it's gonna cost us money we ask ourselves three questions: will it SAVE us money in the long run? can we MAKE money on it? or, can we find if for FREE? Many times the answer is NO to all three questions. And that, more than anything, is how we have a nest egg. Not much, but likely more than most folks who live on about $8,000 a year!!!!
Now, I'm not bragging. It's just the facts. When I hear someone say they're struggling to pay for this and that and it's "getting costly" to do this or that, my antenna is up, looking for all the signs of their participation in the mass-market, credit driven, global economy.
And it's always talk about what they're gonna have to "give up." Like it's going to cause a coronary if they have to go without the gym membership, the vacation to the Bahamas, the five TV's and four laptops, the dinners out and the golfing on Sundays.
The only thing they'd really be "giving up" is SPENDING. And don't give me the dribble about "well, if Americans aren't spending the economy will stagnate." Honey, the economy stagnates because people have lived way beyond their means on CREDIT, not SAVINGS, and now the cost has become too high.
We're a CONSUMER based economy that has 3% of the population and uses 25% of the worlds resources, or some such numbers to that effect. I forget now, it's after 2 a.m. so somebody correct me if you'd like.
Anyone with a pea for a brain can figure out that a society can't keep CONSUMING, CONSUMING and not have to eventually pay the piper.
My mother's family lived in a chicken coop during the Great Depression and considered themselves LUCKY. Mom always talked fondly of that time. Can you believe it? Her six aunts and three uncles and their spouses and 14 children all shared one uncle's farm house. Mom's family consisted of her and her parents. After all the chickens were eaten or killed by fox, they moved into the coop. They were the only ones who had their own "home", their own little world where they didn't have to share beds and bathroom facilities (they used the outhouse), and tolerate somebody else's cooking or drunken tirades when one uncle raided the still out back.
My mother saved everything - even our clothe diapers. MY children wore the cloth diapers I wore. I didn't feel I was "giving up" anything for using thoes hand-me-down diapers! I as SAVING. And this was during the beginnings of the Pampers. My friends spend money on convenience. I saved money with a little inconvenience.
God, I hate winers. Especially ones that contribute DAILY to their own problems.
If I were a drinking person tonight I would have been plastered!
Good night, or good morning. I best get some sleep. I'll read this later today and think, God, what a bitch you can be!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Hamburger Rocks, Rieska and Other Recipes
Here's a recipe for HAMBURGER ROCKS. Yeah, it's a weird sounding name but I've made them and found they were convenient during a time I lived without refrigeration.
Hamburger Rocks
1. Using a large skillet brown 5 pounds of ground beef on medium low heat. When thoroughly cooked, drain meat in a colander placed over a large stock pot. Rinse under hot running water to remove the fat. I save the juice for broths.
2. Clean the skillet to remove excess fat from the first cooking. Place the washed meat back into the skillet and fry it again over low heat, stirring until you see no more steam. Don't break the hamburger up into real small pieces or you'll wind up with hamburger granules, not "rocks".
3. Place the "twice cooked" rocks into an roasting pan. Turn the oven to 200 degrees F, stirring and turning occasionally as the meat continues to dry for one to two hours. Remove the roaster from the oven and check for dryness.
4. When the hamburger has cooled, pack it into zip lock bags or mason jars. Pack tightly and remove as much air as possible.
5. For long term storage, preheat canning jars in the oven at 250 F, simmer the lids as usual, put the "rocks" into the hot jars, then seal. About 15 minutes later the jars will cool and you'll hear the lids "pop." DO NOT heat the jars in a water bath as this interferes with the dehydration of the meat.
6. To cook with the hamburger rocks, place about a cup of meat in a bowl and add about 1-1/2 to 2 cups of warm water. Let sit for awhile to rehydrate. This recipe is best with hamburger, not lean ground beef. If you do use a leaner meat shorten the dehydrating time. DO NOT let the meat burn.
And here's a recipe for Rieska, a Finnish flat bread that requires no yeast. Like most homemade breads, it is best served warm, fresh from the oven.
Rieska
1 Cup Rye Flour, 3 Cups white flour, 1 Cup rolled oats, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons sugar, 2 Cups butermilk, 1/2 Cup butter, not margarine.
Mix all ingredients, shape into a flat ball and let rest a few minutes. Roll out on a floured board to about one inch thick. Bake at 475 degrees for 10 minutes.
When out of buttermilk, I've used plain whole milk and it seemed fine. Do not use instant oatmeal. Quick- cooking oats give the bread a smooth texture. I prefer regular rolled oats for more texture.
I have doubled the recipe but, from my experience this seems to be a bread that is best made one loaf at a time. It really doesn't take that much time and it's delicious with soups and stews. I'm Norwegian and enjoy this bread for sandwiches, most often open faced.
And for the cabbage lovers...
Cabbaage Caraway Noodles
4 ounces flat egg noodles, butter, onion, 1-1/2 pounds shredded cabbage, 1 Tablespoon caraway seed, salt & pepper, 1 Cup chicken stock, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 Cup milk, 2 Teaspoons stone ground mustard, 1/2 Cup fresh bread crumbs, 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese.
Heat overn to 375 degrees and grease a baking pan. Cook noodles , drain and rinse with cold water. Heat some butter in a saucepan, add some diced onion and saute. Stir in cabbage, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and heat to a boil; then lower heat to simmer. Dissolve cornstarch in milk and add to saucepan mixture. Boil again and return to simmer and add mustard. Place noodles in baking pan and pour sauce over top. Stir this gently then sprinkle bread crumbs and parmesan cheese over top. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
That's all for now folks. Treesong
Hamburger Rocks
1. Using a large skillet brown 5 pounds of ground beef on medium low heat. When thoroughly cooked, drain meat in a colander placed over a large stock pot. Rinse under hot running water to remove the fat. I save the juice for broths.
2. Clean the skillet to remove excess fat from the first cooking. Place the washed meat back into the skillet and fry it again over low heat, stirring until you see no more steam. Don't break the hamburger up into real small pieces or you'll wind up with hamburger granules, not "rocks".
3. Place the "twice cooked" rocks into an roasting pan. Turn the oven to 200 degrees F, stirring and turning occasionally as the meat continues to dry for one to two hours. Remove the roaster from the oven and check for dryness.
4. When the hamburger has cooled, pack it into zip lock bags or mason jars. Pack tightly and remove as much air as possible.
5. For long term storage, preheat canning jars in the oven at 250 F, simmer the lids as usual, put the "rocks" into the hot jars, then seal. About 15 minutes later the jars will cool and you'll hear the lids "pop." DO NOT heat the jars in a water bath as this interferes with the dehydration of the meat.
6. To cook with the hamburger rocks, place about a cup of meat in a bowl and add about 1-1/2 to 2 cups of warm water. Let sit for awhile to rehydrate. This recipe is best with hamburger, not lean ground beef. If you do use a leaner meat shorten the dehydrating time. DO NOT let the meat burn.
And here's a recipe for Rieska, a Finnish flat bread that requires no yeast. Like most homemade breads, it is best served warm, fresh from the oven.
Rieska
1 Cup Rye Flour, 3 Cups white flour, 1 Cup rolled oats, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons sugar, 2 Cups butermilk, 1/2 Cup butter, not margarine.
Mix all ingredients, shape into a flat ball and let rest a few minutes. Roll out on a floured board to about one inch thick. Bake at 475 degrees for 10 minutes.
When out of buttermilk, I've used plain whole milk and it seemed fine. Do not use instant oatmeal. Quick- cooking oats give the bread a smooth texture. I prefer regular rolled oats for more texture.
I have doubled the recipe but, from my experience this seems to be a bread that is best made one loaf at a time. It really doesn't take that much time and it's delicious with soups and stews. I'm Norwegian and enjoy this bread for sandwiches, most often open faced.
And for the cabbage lovers...
Cabbaage Caraway Noodles
4 ounces flat egg noodles, butter, onion, 1-1/2 pounds shredded cabbage, 1 Tablespoon caraway seed, salt & pepper, 1 Cup chicken stock, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 Cup milk, 2 Teaspoons stone ground mustard, 1/2 Cup fresh bread crumbs, 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese.
Heat overn to 375 degrees and grease a baking pan. Cook noodles , drain and rinse with cold water. Heat some butter in a saucepan, add some diced onion and saute. Stir in cabbage, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and heat to a boil; then lower heat to simmer. Dissolve cornstarch in milk and add to saucepan mixture. Boil again and return to simmer and add mustard. Place noodles in baking pan and pour sauce over top. Stir this gently then sprinkle bread crumbs and parmesan cheese over top. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
That's all for now folks. Treesong
Stocking Up and Other Musings
Well, today was the monthly trip to town for supplies.
Suppose one could say we don't really need anything with all the inventory we already have. But, I disagree.
We're two people living on a limited income with no guarantee that it will continue if the SHTF. Furthermore, we're generous people. For about a year now we've operated what I refer to as an anonymous food pantry. No small feat considering we're 10 miles out of town and seldom go anywhere; certainly not visiting people or out for "entertainment."
It's been on my heart for well over a year now to operate a food pantry but I'm not about to rent a building, drive there, stock the place, etc. So, I just put it out there to the universe/God that I'd like to help others. Mind you, I know about four people in this area - no kidding! So somehow, some way, word gets around that there's this crazy lady over near ------ that will give you some food. And stranger still, is that the call always comes in from someone saying, "I know of someone in need...". I just get their address and drop it off at their home or an intermediary place. It's happened about six times in a year. I feel good and hope it helps whomever.
But back to the stocking up. Here's how we handle it. EVERYTHING is dated (month/year) with a permanent black marker. EVERYTHING is rotated so the older the date the sooner it's used. I keep an eye on how much of most everything we use and multiply times 12 months or 52 weeks, depending on what the item is. We do have food stored in 5 gallon plastic buckets but most of it is staples: flour, sugar, various pastas, rice, various beans, powdered milk, rolled oats, farina, potato flakes, and popcorn. The buckets have oxygen obsorbers in them and tight fitting lids. One gallon jars are used for "everyday" containers of the aforementioned staples. I just rotate the old staples into the jars as they're emptied and place the new staples in the bottom of the buckets.
Managing this inventory of food, toiletries and cleaning supplies does take some time but, I've got plenty of time!
And the overall savings are mind boggling. I save our receipts from month to month and have most prices memorized from the past couple months. Today, at one store (they didn't have the fall harvest) a can of green beans was 61 cents compared to 52 cents last month.
We don't raise any of our own meat, eggs or milk so those items can be particularly challenging to store. We DO NOT have a freezer separate from the frig. We did once upon a time but it quit working and realized we never had it full anyway. We stock corned beef, tuna, canned chicken, pork and beef. And, I make large batches of chili and stews and process them in the pressure cooker.
I don't drink milk so a gallon goes sour before being used. We buy one half gallon a month - otherwise I make powdered milk or mix it with regular milk. I also don't eat eggs so about three dozen a month does us just fine for eating and baking. They are bought once a month like everything else. Eggs in the store are who knows how old anyway so I don't worry about their freshness.
We also eat seasonally!!!! Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers for salads in the summer; not the winter. The last items to be harvested from our garden will be the winter squashes, carrots and beets. We have a very small shed that I'm going to store them in - each veggie in plastic baskets sitting inside a rough box with a lid on it (about 4x4x4 feet) and a couple mesh openings for air circulation. The key is not to FORGET them; USE them and each time you retrieve a bunch of carrots check the condition of the rest of the veggies. My father stored his root veggies this way for about 30 years in an alcove at the top of his basement stairwell.
All the peelings, cuttings, and leftovers (seldom seen here!) are thrown in the compost pile along with the dried leaves, grass clippings (very few) and shredded newspaper (not the colored or glossy pages).
We just stocked up on 12-can flats of green beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and peas because it was the "fall harvest" at the local grocery. We buy these more because they're easy to store and easier still to pass on to others in need. I'm generous with food but not my canning jars so the home-canned food is not given out.
When we go north to visit my family the truck will be loaded with flats of food for a food pantry and a few family members. It's our way of helping them out while they give us a place to stay during our visit. Hopefully one day we'll move there. We have our place up for sale but you all know what the market is like now. But, I keep telling sweetie - there's always someone looking for an inexpensive place!
Well, the goulash and peas & carrots are ready. Thanks to all for your comments. And no, Michael, Lady won't bark unless she's certain there's danger.
Tomorrow I'll post a couple recipes. Have a great evening, Treesong
Suppose one could say we don't really need anything with all the inventory we already have. But, I disagree.
We're two people living on a limited income with no guarantee that it will continue if the SHTF. Furthermore, we're generous people. For about a year now we've operated what I refer to as an anonymous food pantry. No small feat considering we're 10 miles out of town and seldom go anywhere; certainly not visiting people or out for "entertainment."
It's been on my heart for well over a year now to operate a food pantry but I'm not about to rent a building, drive there, stock the place, etc. So, I just put it out there to the universe/God that I'd like to help others. Mind you, I know about four people in this area - no kidding! So somehow, some way, word gets around that there's this crazy lady over near ------ that will give you some food. And stranger still, is that the call always comes in from someone saying, "I know of someone in need...". I just get their address and drop it off at their home or an intermediary place. It's happened about six times in a year. I feel good and hope it helps whomever.
But back to the stocking up. Here's how we handle it. EVERYTHING is dated (month/year) with a permanent black marker. EVERYTHING is rotated so the older the date the sooner it's used. I keep an eye on how much of most everything we use and multiply times 12 months or 52 weeks, depending on what the item is. We do have food stored in 5 gallon plastic buckets but most of it is staples: flour, sugar, various pastas, rice, various beans, powdered milk, rolled oats, farina, potato flakes, and popcorn. The buckets have oxygen obsorbers in them and tight fitting lids. One gallon jars are used for "everyday" containers of the aforementioned staples. I just rotate the old staples into the jars as they're emptied and place the new staples in the bottom of the buckets.
Managing this inventory of food, toiletries and cleaning supplies does take some time but, I've got plenty of time!
And the overall savings are mind boggling. I save our receipts from month to month and have most prices memorized from the past couple months. Today, at one store (they didn't have the fall harvest) a can of green beans was 61 cents compared to 52 cents last month.
We don't raise any of our own meat, eggs or milk so those items can be particularly challenging to store. We DO NOT have a freezer separate from the frig. We did once upon a time but it quit working and realized we never had it full anyway. We stock corned beef, tuna, canned chicken, pork and beef. And, I make large batches of chili and stews and process them in the pressure cooker.
I don't drink milk so a gallon goes sour before being used. We buy one half gallon a month - otherwise I make powdered milk or mix it with regular milk. I also don't eat eggs so about three dozen a month does us just fine for eating and baking. They are bought once a month like everything else. Eggs in the store are who knows how old anyway so I don't worry about their freshness.
We also eat seasonally!!!! Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers for salads in the summer; not the winter. The last items to be harvested from our garden will be the winter squashes, carrots and beets. We have a very small shed that I'm going to store them in - each veggie in plastic baskets sitting inside a rough box with a lid on it (about 4x4x4 feet) and a couple mesh openings for air circulation. The key is not to FORGET them; USE them and each time you retrieve a bunch of carrots check the condition of the rest of the veggies. My father stored his root veggies this way for about 30 years in an alcove at the top of his basement stairwell.
All the peelings, cuttings, and leftovers (seldom seen here!) are thrown in the compost pile along with the dried leaves, grass clippings (very few) and shredded newspaper (not the colored or glossy pages).
We just stocked up on 12-can flats of green beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and peas because it was the "fall harvest" at the local grocery. We buy these more because they're easy to store and easier still to pass on to others in need. I'm generous with food but not my canning jars so the home-canned food is not given out.
When we go north to visit my family the truck will be loaded with flats of food for a food pantry and a few family members. It's our way of helping them out while they give us a place to stay during our visit. Hopefully one day we'll move there. We have our place up for sale but you all know what the market is like now. But, I keep telling sweetie - there's always someone looking for an inexpensive place!
Well, the goulash and peas & carrots are ready. Thanks to all for your comments. And no, Michael, Lady won't bark unless she's certain there's danger.
Tomorrow I'll post a couple recipes. Have a great evening, Treesong
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)