Amishway Homesteaders

............................ yes we too were thinking about what was up a few days ago?

........................... aren't good days nice! Too bad they are so far between. LOL

thanks will check it out!

I Love cooking that way as it does save heating up the stove, keeps the house cool and makes any cheap meat taste good and tender.

YES some days I wish Lori would come home early from work so we could eat as the whole house smells so good! and 'most' times I cook on hight (4 hours) while home or start it in morning (4 am) and it is done beore we go out. Reheat when you get home on stove or microwave?

........... But other than THAT the weather has been "NORMAL AROUND HERE!"

RIGHT like there is nothing about all the weather changes of late and there is nothing to do with ;global warming' and the shift in the jet stream or all the things we are putting into the air? That and the price of gas will come down and stay there! LOL

when on the road some times we stop for the Pizza Special : 2 big slices and a drink. They are so big we get 1 and share! But I can't drive and hold that big slice! So I always ask if they can cut each in 2 because we am really hungery and that was we get 4 slices. Can't tell you how many think that is a great idea? and a money saver?

Here I was thinking about gardening and how SOON I could get going and THAT made me feel good. Then I come in here and see what you have to eat ALREADLY and now I am sad again! I want 'fresh' vegetables NOW!

The snow that would not go away held me back a bit from working in the vegetable patch but now with warmer weather and no rain the raised beds are looking good!

I do have the garlic coming up(was 1/2 inch up a few days ago and now it is 4 - 5 inches up out of the hay ) - had to get more form Ben's (Amish) when we went to clean out barn.

Peas are in the ground and radishes going in today and I might try some early carrots just because. Finding a few things that missed harvesting that are coming back so that is always a bit of fun to see. had a late planting of 'radicchio' lettuce that never got big enough before the snow covered it, and now the centers of them are all growing new leaves! All I had to do was cut of the outer ones that were dead and now I have small baby heads forming. Cool!

well I was doing good with walking last few weeks but this weekend I turned just right (or wrong?) and my bad knee went bang! so I am 'trying' to take it a bit easy . . . . but there is so much work to be done in gardens and helping out at Amish Farms!

BUT:

now that I see that counts I have dragged out the portable victrola and found a few 78"s that might work?

Poor Lori has no idea what she is going to find when she gets home from work!

So I am just checking . . . we just stand there and go round and round and round and round and THAT counts? LOL

Overnight rain and then freezing snow / sleet for a bit so lots of cars and trucks going off roads in early morning (4 am - 5 am). Then more snow - up to 1 inch but gone by 11:30 seeing the sun came out.

JUST when I thought maybe Spring was here!

here is another must read book all about starting to homestead on rented land and start getting a few animals and all she had to go though.

BARNHEART by Jenna Woginrich

Lori read it first and was done in a few days then said I HAD to read it too.

Very good simple story (True by the way) and it will have you laughing at times with what goes on.

we too woke up to snow!

But it didn't last long and nothing sticking to the ground.

Very windy again today and that makes it hard to get around.

Can't open both doors to the van at the same time or everything inside blows out the open door! So first Lori gets out and closes her door then I get out and close my door. Then I chase down my straw hat and THEN we can go visit.

Happy April Fools Day a few day early!

~Bad Michael~

OK so here is what is happening:

Every year on Easter we go to the ‘all-you-can-eat’ Breakfast /dinner Buffet at Ponderosa
(I know – not good)

= And =

Every year on Lori’s birthday (March 31) I take her out to Ling-Lings (Chinese Buffet)
we pig out!

But this year they are on the same day!

So we are going to Ponderosa and eat for about 1 ½ hours and then drive across town to Ling-Lings and eat Chinese for about another 1 ½ hours!

SO now you know WHY we might be in hospital on Monday!!!!!

Just Kidding! We have been telling people this all week and some even believe it !
this has happened only one other time when Lori was around 10 years old that Easter and her Birthday was on the same day- how COOL is that!

We are doing one Dinner this Sunday and going out another time for her Birthday but thanks for worrying about us being in the Hospital! LOL
silly

= = = =SIDEBAR = = = =

Talk about eating cheap!

We helped out at the Sal. Army today with the "Free Food Give-a-way"

WOW!

The Roy Rogers Restaurant Chain donations food that would otherwise go in the trash after it has set out for serving. Every few hours they have to clear out the buffet area and put out new. NOW they put what's good in bags and into the freeze.

The Sal. Army (and others I guess?) go there on Mondays and Thursdays to pick it up and take it back to the office.

Here is what happens:

Pick up food at 9 am

Put food out on tables (10 tables today of chicken, hamburgers, fries, pizza's (small), baked potatoes, etc.

Also had some pop on hand so that went on 1 table.

About 11 am they start coming in to sit in chairs across the room from the food. (about 35-40 people today)
but at 5 minutes to go everyone get up and stands around the tables - looking at what is there and THINKING of what to grab first!

At 11:30 sharp John ( worker) says "GO"

Everyone has bags and they just grab as fast as they can and get WHATEVER they can!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All the chicken and burgers were gone in seconds!

.....are you ready for this?

10 tables FILLED with food - - 35-40 people...........................

It was ALL GONE in 2 1/2 minutes! I clocked it!

We did get a few things to bring home so we are set for the weekend for food! Now it is still frozen when they get it but hey it was FREE!

........................ here we go again!

THANKS for al the "behind the scenes" work everyone does to keep this thing up and running!

(So it's not lost in the Shout Box)

 

arby : (26 March 2013 - 08:40 AM) I woke up nervous LOL. I wont be answering anymore no name numbers this week. @ arby : (26 March 2013 - 08:32 AM) My phone has caller id but the numbers had no names. Not as unavailable however

 

 

lumabean : (26 March 2013 - 10:43 AM) That's scary, Arby! In addition to the police, I'd call the phone company and ask for a number change. Years ago I had to do that, and the rep told me that due to the circumstances, they'd change it *once* for free - when I did, we also opted to have it unlisted and unpublished as well (I believe that fee is about $3/month, which I found to be worth it)

 

 

Philbe : (26 March 2013 - 11:05 AM) Arby...definitely call the phone company. They can "re-route" your number through their auditing system for a short period of time. I had to do that once. After that, I didn't get any further calls of that nature. Again, not long ago, before I was married to MM, I got a couple of calls and so I just reached over, touched the # sound on my phone and said "operator, this is the call source #***** (just make up a number) that I've reported, and promptly hung up. Never got one again.

from what Phibe posted in last part..............................

@Philbe I got to use that part about using the # button and saying TONIGHT! Got one of those credit card calls (again) and did it – they hung up QUICK! THANKS

went like this..................

phone rang and I answered it-

telemarketer called about credit card I don't even have (we have none) so as soon as she started talking I hit the # button 2 times and said" Operator THIS is the call I need traced " hit the # button again and said " code number 3537 unsolicited call"

She couldn't hang up fast enough!

Also we keep a high pitch whistle next to the phone in case we get a call we don’t want, then they get an ear full! That stops them from calling again!

As I posted in shoutbox...................................................

I think you should call police just to be sure? Not much they can do as it sounds too short to trace. BUT this way there is a record of when it started and how many times. I take it your phone doesn't have caller ID?

BEST book I have read this month! and I have read a lot.................

Farewell, my Subaru : an epic adventure in local living

by Doug Fine

Like many Americans, Doug Fine enjoys his creature comforts, but he also knows full well they keep him addicted to oil. So he wonders: Is it possible to keep his Netflix and his car, his Wi-Fi and his subwoofers, and still reduce his carbon footprint? In an attempt to find out, Fine moves to a remote ranch in New Mexico, where he brazenly vows to grow his own food, use sunlight to power his world, and drive on restaurant grease. Never mind that he has no farming, mechanical or electrical skills. Whether installing solar panels, defending goats he found on Craigslist against coyotes, or co-opting waste oil from a local restaurant to fill the tank in his Ridiculously Oversized American Truck, Fine's undertaking makes one thing clear: It ain't easy being green. In fact, his journey uncovers a slew of surprising facts about alternative energy, organic and locally grown food, and climate change.--From publisher description.

Lying in bed one night, Thinking instead of sleeping as I do way too much, I got to thinking about the 3 R's from School Days and for some reason I got to thinking as Homesteaders we are Living the Simple Life but . . . . . now we have the 3 L 's for homesteading ! Locally, logically and lovingly!
Seeing whenever we can we try and shop locally and support the small hometown businesses.
Live, garden and cook and work logically - meaning not wasting things or time and doing what we think is best for who we are.
And of cause you can't do the other two and live a happy life without doing things Lovingly, Loving Nature, God, Family and the Simple Life makes it much easier to survive with all that the world is throwing at us.

Just me thinking again!

WOW!

Thanks for putting up the photos!

at first I thought I would have to undo all the ones I have in use here $%#%^&%$#!

but now I see that mine don't look anything like the ones you posted!

THAT saves me a lot of time. Also mine are maybe 5 - 6 years old and still work great!

.............................. I'm out!

they really don't want us because we are honest cheapskapes !

and we can thing and do things the right way too.

Tater McCoppertop for Michael

and

Blanrey McCoppertop for Lori

Funny how we both ended up with the same last name?????? LOL

DUH!

1 cabbage:

Core and remove outer leaves and put that in compost,

Use outside leaves to make cabbage rollups,

Shred ½ of head to make sweet-n-sour cabbage.

Other part when into Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner (Guess what day?)

From thicker inside leaves chop up to make Cole Slaw.

Use what’s left to add to homemade soup.

Save ‘crumbs’ from cutting up to add to a garden salad.

I am tired……………………..

1 lemon:
take and 'zest' the shin to use in recipe.

Then Slice in half and also make 2 thin slices for garnish with Fish Dinner and squeeze some onto fish.
Then put into water to make lemonade.

Take out when done and cut up and put into compost.