Annarchy

So sorry for your loss of puppy wags, Mt_Rider. Here at my, eldest, younger brothers house. Not used to a different guidance system. My phone system wouldn’t connect. Had to use the vehicle guidance. Sign. He called me “old” because I stopped in the road, then, pulled into someone’s driveway to let the cars behind me go around…he saw. Brat! Guidance system, told me to ‘keep right’ when I needed to stay on I-10. Stupid system! Had to make a U turn and get back on. Tired of driving… will go back home & go back to TX next week. Such is life…

I’ve seen medical & scientific reports saying that’s true. I use it, limited, now. Sigh. It is a nice tool to keep baking pans clean. But after seeing the reports, I don’t mind scrubbing my dishes. Might be why I have a tremendous amount of memory loss. Used it constantly for over 40 years….before I read the reports.

Interesting article…

Busy week. DH had company visit, cooked up BBQ pork sandwiches. The next day, DH took me out to the cattle range, to get ‘old’ poo for the yard & garden. Got some good deadfall mesquite, for our BBQ. Coming back in town, one flyer had said they were having a chili cook off. Turned out to be a barbecue cook off. Main Street was closed…. We chatted with a few vendors/contestants, then, went home. They were all just beginning to prep for Saturday’s judging. Ribs, brisket & pulled pork were the items to be judged. Most of the people were using pellet Q’s and those tank type Q’s you can see in the pic. Only 2 real wood barbecue pits. Sat. morning, everything outside smelled like BBQ. By the time we got there Sat. 4pm, they were done & cleaning up. No food to be found. We came back home & I made BBQ chicken for us. Planning to make chicken salad sandwiches with the leftovers.

I write in cursive, all the time, because, ‘they’ said the younger generations can’t read it. All my envelopes are hand written in cursive, all my letters are also, and the checks I write & send, I even spell out the cents, just to be ornery. We spent hours upon hours, writing line by line, pages and pages of cursive lettering. That’s the same way they taught us shorthand. Grandmother would say, “A refined lady knows how to write properly.” I have a tote full of refillable pens, and a few collectible Cross pen sets, with extra cartridges. A helpful hint, spray hair spray on clothing ink spots, then wash.

Good grief!!! Went to the PO and got a sweet card from SnapshotMiki…. Thank you …Yikes I didn’t realize I was absent for so long. Turned everything off, to work on an intricate crochet pattern, DH asked me to do. I didn’t realize it took so much concentration to finish the project. Turned on my phone & devices….. MIL showed up as calling! Called her, nope, she hadn’t called. Goodness! Then, why did my phone say she did? And, messages… good grief! Usually, all I ever get is spam…. All is well, I am planning a trip to visit my other brother in the next week or so… working on the garden & yard, house, dogs & business company has kept me unfocused on the net.

We keep our batteries in the frig. MIL taught us that.. seems to work… for years.

That will teach me to use generic lids. They were canned a year ago when lids were scarce.

Ok, threw them away.

Can I eat these beets??!! Opened the lid….

Congratulations on your hives. The person I knew, that kept bees, had to quit, because a couple of their kids, were allergic to the bees.

Home safe, praise God, the 18 wheeler didn’t run me too far off the road…I was in dirt, but recovered, the car behind me, had to slam his breaks, I punched it, because I was already up to his cab! He never looked…

Awesome!!! Sadly, one carrot grew, greens died in the heat, but I noticed it is growing new greens just before I left home.

TX has been an interesting adventure. Thursday morning, sprayed the wasps, over 10 nests, her neighbor sprayed them on Monday and removed the nests. Took MIL for her 2nd covid shot. Cooked shrimp scampi for dinner. Went to Sam’s Friday morning. They said my Business membership no longer allows early morning shopping. Now, you have to buy their premium card for 7-10am. shopping, at over $100. Price hike. Got a pack of baby back ribs for dinner, with a microwave cup of mashed potatoes, mom sized. She enjoyed it, said she felt terrible, her arm hurt so much she couldn’t move it and didn’t want to get off the couch. She slept most of the day there. Packed the leftover ribs, 2 per bag & froze them for her. This morning, pulled the spiny pig weeds that were over 4’ tall, filled her roll off dumpster, packed to the top. Noticed more wasp nests, where I had sprayed & removed the nests on Thursday. One was already the size of a grapefruit! Mom called Orkin, they will be here Monday, guaranteeing their work for 2 months, money back guarantee, if the wasps come back, they will come back for free. She’s happy. Over-sprayed myself, trying to avoid the swarm. I’ve been bug bombed, even though I showered good right after. Even called Poison Control, per the instructions on the can..…. or not….. Headed home in the morning….

I wasn’t planning on adding anything else. All my recipes, add the spices, etc. while cooking. Mainly because I cook such a variety of cuisines. Don’t need Italian spices in my Mexican or oriental foods, type things. Comparing the prices per quantity at Sam’s, seeing a gallon of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes for $5. was enlightening. If, I could re-can it into my glass jars, in the amounts I use, that would save me a tremendous amount of money. Next time….

Acidity… probably. Checking the edu. canning instructions, I didn’t see anything about not using mfg. products. It recommends 1 tbs. per pint of lemon juice. Wouldn’t the mfg. already have the proper acidity? Thank you Lady. I thought I remembered someone (you) saying you got the big cans & re-canned them. When I went to Sam’s the big cans cost, just over, the price we are paying at home for 1/4 the quantity.

Re-Canning Bulk Tomato Canned Products Can I re-can, in smaller jars, bulk, gallon sized cans of tomato sauce & diced tomatoes safely? If so, ….how? PC and/or WB times & pressure.

Yikes! Meat prices….!!! Thankfully, hamburger, 90%, $3.28/lb. $3.00/lb. less than at home. Budget stretching is back in style, in my home.

We are below the lowest bracket, income wise. AZ prices weren’t too bad, until recently. Living frugal has become a life style for us. My income went from excellent hourly wages, in the mid ‘90’s to a whopping $600/mo. Talk about forced frugality. I started gardening and constantly researching ways to make ends meet. How to preserve anything and everything. (BTW… that video on dehydrated water, was a pleasant laugh. Now, it’s stuck in my head. ) Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes. Now, everything I do, is with the future in mind. How long will it last? How far can I make it stretch? What can I add, for diversity? Mt_Rider’s “What if..” scenarios pop into my thoughts, occasionally. Art & craft supplies, paper books, games, tools - gardening, repair, kitchen necessities, etc… I add to them as I can, a little bit at a time. Recently, the cost of meat at home, is the reason I get it here in TX, when I take care of MIL. I’m going today, again. God willing, I will find what we need, at a reasonable price.

I’ve been preparing to go to TX today. So much to do… you know. Our roof leaked, roofers said the AC people didn’t tuck the skirting under the shingles, or secure it to the roof, they just put tar over the base, so, roofer, nailed it down and put more tar over it. DH was up there and said you could feel cold air coming out. Sigh, sometimes I really wonder about people today. We will have to watch it. oh, the storm that hit us, Monday night, tore the whole metal sheeting off our PO. The sheets were mangled and strewn about for blocks. DH said 80mph winds. I saw damage on several places, to & from the PO.

David, We get bottled water delivered, here. Our market has an RO system, people seem to like. Berkley makes some, but I have no ides if they make them large enough for a home. Maybe someone else would know.

Our house is under 1000 sf. Yes....!!! Most of our "stuff"...kitchen stuffed with stored foods and equipment to prepare food, delicately arranged, in order to get it all in there. lol Our only minimal room, is the living room, where people sit. Tidy, clean, touched with crocheted coasters, still stuffed in places no one can see. The lock down only increased our supplies, reducing our space. I rarely let anyone into any of our other rooms, then, I am self conscious that they might want to come her if SHTF. MIL is a minimalist, she has her trinkets and pretty things, neatly displayed. Everything else is only daily used items, put away. Main reason, she calls us "hoarders".

???? Please tell. DH doesn’t like my unbanned jars.

Rain! Glorious rain! Nice soaking rain, from about 6a. to 11:30. Of course, I didn’t get much done outside, except one load of laundry, and emptying anything that collects water, but, it was so very wonderful! Everything smells so fresh outside. Made brisket, from 8/2020 for dinner, homemade mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts for dinner. Dogs are not pleased they can’t play in the mud. Lol Here’s Gunny, being a beggar, from DH’s plate…. And Storm, just waiting for me to move…. He’s my “Velcro” tail. Lol