At least you can rehab cast iron.  After all, what does Mom know, when the internet says otherwise, LOL

ok, now I know....ty for alreay having the answer when I got that today on the humor forum today, too.  At least i know it is not my 'puter

Got a lot done this week....Monday I mopped floors, for me that is kinda heavy work, but I am proud to have done it anyway.  Lots of breaks, and wringing with sweat by the time I got done, but I  DID IT!  hOORAY!  Our AC (central) keeps freezing up - like  in 15 min flat - so we put the window ACs back in - better than nothing in our 90-100 degree weather.  Afternoon sun bakes us badly.  

Tues was pension day so groceries and bills were the order of the day.  Whew...some good meat sales so we topped up our freezers with pork (boneless roasts, sirloins, steaks) and beef (ribeye steaks).  We were going to buy the whole ribye primal cut but Mary noticed they had lots of fat we would have to trim - we would lose about 25% of our outlay - so we went with the pre cut and trimmed which were $1 a pound more, but trimmed very close.   Had some for dinner...MMMMM.   Gave 8 to our friends who are having financial difficulties.  (We buy them groceries now and again).  The husband was touched by those beautiful steaks....we told them, if they were going to do Keto diet they might aw well have some steaks on hand for when they needed something to feel spoiled.  No sense wasting a good sale, LOL.

Wednesday Mary took the new truck in to have the running boards installed.  I was carring around a fold step stool just to get inside te truck now I can put it back in the pantry where  it belongs.  I cant reach those higher shelves anymore without it.  I stayed behind, baked bread and made a macaroni-chicken salad for dinner on Thursday, since the weather showed no sign of cooling down anytime soon.  Packed up and subdivided all those larger meat packs we bought into meal size units, then lugged 6 plastic bags full out to the freezers (they are in the carport.  BTW, the lock hasps I put on them worked perfectly - I just used construction glue no hole drilling (and maybe hit a cooling line) required!  We can lock them down when we are going to be away from home.    

Today I mopped the front living room area, after sweeping, and moving the furniture to get every corner.  It took quite a while (but then again I am slow..)but was worth it when Mary came in from working in the yard in the 95 degree heat because I sat her down in a recliner next to the window air conditioner, and servedl her cold chicken-pasta salad and freshly made coffee.  Tonight when we let the dogs in from the back yard we saw one of the litter of three kittens that had been outside with their Mom, and he looked pretty miserable.  He had got inside the fence to stand by the door and ask to be let in so we brought all three in.  Lots of kitty kisses and purring and they hit the watering station immediately.  Maybe we will keep them in until the weather cools down as they were suffering pretty badly.  They nad only been outside 1 week, so they took to being inside where it is coooler right off.  The older cats know how to cope with the heat ,but the littles, not so much.  And we finaly figured out how to get out central AC to work without freezing up almost immediately....use the whole house vent switch to clear out the excess condensation and therefore keep the AC from freezing up.  We cant believe how nice it is to be really cool again.   Altogether it was a tiring but productive day.

does this mean I won't keep getting locked out of the site on my first try to enter it anymore?  Last night it would not let me on at all....kept telling me I was locked out and to wait 15 min and try again.  Afteer 6 tries I gave up.  Today I got the locked out message, then got in right away.  Hmmmm.

Our toilet paper and paper towels at Wal-mart are hit and miss - maybe you get some, maybe not.  No limits yet.  The wipes are all gone.  I can still find Palmolive anti-bacterial soap if I look, and try to grab some for hand washing masks.  Povidone iodine is in short supply especially since it was on the news as a disinfectant.  Odd things we did ot expect to be in short supply:  pet food, both canned and dry.  Vitamin C. Chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, taco seasoning packets.  Frozen vegetables in the 12 oz size are gone, so are the cheap pizzas if you dont get them early in the week.  Very grateful for my freezer so I can just get the less scarce larger size packages.  Canned ravioli is gone all the time.  Ditto canned chili and beef stew.  All purpose flour is starting to dwindle again, just house brand on the shelves.  Forget bread flour, rye flour or the speciality flours (so glad I have gluten flour put away).  The soup aisle is a shanbles, as are the shelf stable side dishes (potatoes, mac & cheese, rice sides).  I am SOOOO glad I can cook from scratch, as the rock bottom basics are still around - if you buy big sizes.   

nice catch on the wipes, TheCG!  I usualy make a couple trips in and out (using different check outs each time) when I have a good find like that.  Naughty maybe but I am also sharing with others and with my doctor as well.  (She gets soooo excited when I can score her some supplies!)  I hope I can keep doing so as things are starting again to be in short supply at odd times.  Hand sanitizer was all over the place 2 weeks ago for school supply (small bottles though and pricey).  Now it is gone.  I will have to start going out for the very early granny hours again soon if this keeps up.  Last good score was at Lowe's (of all places) hand sanitizer by the pint pump bottles at a reasonable price....we bought some and have them on stand by when somebody needs some.  What I need to do is make more masks...Chainsaw Mary has trouble breathing thru the N95 commercial and medical ones, but can handle the cloth ones for a longer period of time before her asthma gives her trouble.  I hand wash them in Palmolive anti-bacterial soap between shopping forays.

I had to get some X-rays because I told my doc that my athritis in my left hip was getting bad at night, keeping me from sleeping.  X-rays showed severe arthritis degeneration...tell me something I dont know.  I cant straighten out the hip and the x-ray techs were pulling on it to try to get a good x-ray shot.  More painful than my dislocated shoulder was.  Mch as I loathe the idea of yet more surgery I have a feeling that will be their solution.  I wonder if they can recycle all those titaniuum parts I have when I die?  I could will them to a wprking-mans clinic for someone else to use as I am sure they will outlive me, LOL.

Speaking of Chainsaw Mary, when will I ever learn to NOT let her go a car dealership just to look???  She went to our car dealer when one of the sales people she knows called her and offered to make her a really good deal on a new vehicle for less than she is paying for the one she bought a year ago.  She went in "just to see".  Oh my, now we have a much bigger truck, more bells & wistles, a nice patriot blue color, and her payments only went up a little (under $100).  Talk about bells and whistles.....under the back seats are two built-in coolers to keep things cold on the road.  She likes all the doo-dads, from the electric sliding back window to the drivers' seat automatic lumbar supports.  (I admit I like the bigger tow package)  Well, she says its worth it, I guess so, it does not hurt the budget any, but I personally prefer the idea of paying off a vehicle before trading it in.  We will benefit from the trading in on the 1 year old truck though, it goes as paid off on our credit reports (that part does not hurt a bit).  

Thanks for the reminder to go run our generators, too.  We want to keep them ready to go, and yes, we too got a huge one with our stimulus payment that will power the fridge, freezers and at least one room of AC.  

The garden has revived a bit with all the rain we have been getting...the tomatoes are perking up, the peppers are going crazy, and of course the okra and sweet potatoes are eating it up.  We are now getting ready to put in fall plantings of snap beans, carrots, and all the cold weather items.  I will need the help with fresh produce as I am starting to eat low carb/keto again to pare off some pounds to baby my sore hip. 

Our aussi Jack is starting to calm down as we figure out what his issues are and address them.  We find that a couple nice "sniffy walks" (where he chooses where to go and sniffs to his hearts delight) every day help his mood immensely, and the exercise is slow enough that I can do it even with a cane, so it does nut hurt me either.  One of the kittens follows along trying to tackle his leash (and kill the "snake", I guess) the whole ways - so cute - it looks like the kitten is walking the dog. Jack is very gentle with smaller critters, and he loves babies, so he gets a kick out of it, and keeps slowing down to make sure the kitten keeps up, LOL. He is a good shepherd, and considers the whole crowd of critters here his responsibility; but he gets anxiety attacks which seem to trigger misbehavior at times.  That is what we are addressing, as he is otherwise very eager to please and and an excellent boy.  

Thee German Shepherd-Malinis mix now, HE is laid back, but we have noticed he can pull some passive aggressive traits now and again.  You know....call him and he comes verrrry slooooly....dawdling to the extreme. He can pout with the  best of them, too.  Not to mention....."I only want to go out the FRONT door, not the back door"  and that kind of thing.  His way of looking for attention I imagine.  Some days they are as bad as children.  (But at least I did not have to put up with morning sickness to get them, LOL).

Ah yes....first time I made that for my late husband and told him the name he laughed his tail feathers off!  I have been known to put lumpy saucegravy thru a strainer too with a spatula.  I have a stick blender, but I don't keep it readily at hand, it is in the cupboard with the electric knife and the blender.  I still like the shaker jar thing though, maybe because I have used it so much I am used to it.  We like the fat free aspect too it keeps the doctors content when we have our annual medicare "wellness check". 

My mother used to say that instead of cussing.  But good gravy is more than an expression.  It can hold a meal together.  I did not realize that until my hyusbane, a gravy lover, told me so.  And when I say gravy lover, well, he would eat the stuff with a spoon.  That is when I decided i would have to learn how to make good, tasty, un-lumpy gravy.  The first thing I learned is that I cant do roux at all. so that kind of gravy (with the flour worked into fat) would not work for me.  OK, fat free gravy made our doctors happier anyway and did not trigger his IBS.  Here is the recipe, by the numbers.

          1.  1 level TB of flour is used for each 1/2 cup water.  I prefer flour, because it is cheaper, it thickens nicely, and when it cools, it does not gel to a solid mass, making leftover gravy much                 easier to re-heat and re-use.  However, some folks prefer cornstarch; the proportions there are 1 level TB per 1 cup water (hallf as much as flour).  I have never tried arrowroot, it is out of my                 budget, but have fond out that it uses 1 level tablespoon arrowroot powder per 1 cup liquid, for those who are grain-free.

     2.  Measure the liquid, and put it in your shaker jar first, then add the flour.  It dissolves better that way.  My shaker jar is a clean miracle whip jar, but I also like the wasp waisted pace picante jars.   You have to have a fairly large jar to get a good sloshing going when you shake.  /the better the slosh the better the dissolving of the flour into the liquid.

     3.  Once the liquid is totally mixed, pour the liquid into a saucepan.  Over medium high heat, stirring constantly to keep from scorching, bring to a boil.  Then lower the heat to simmer and simmer for 10 minutes to cook the flour thoroughly.  You can stir less often with the lower heat.  That is all there is to making a smooth fat free gravy.  The fun part, is all the flavors you can make!

For chicken gravy use chicken cooking liqid, adding a bouillon cube if the flavor is a little weak.  Season with one or more of the following seasonings: sage, savory, basil, thyme, marjoram, paprika, poultry seasonings, lemon opepper, onions or garlic powder; or add minced chives, celery bits or mushrooms.  Add a bit of wine as part of the liquid if desired.

For beef gravy use beef cooking water, adding a bouilon cube if needed.  Season with one or mor of the following: marjoram, rosemary, savory, basil, oregano, onion or garlic powder, or minced mushrooms, cardamom powder, catsup, worcestershire sauce, fresh ground pepper or even a bit of beer as part of the liquid!

Pork gravy takes well to seasoning wih sage, savory, basil, thyme, chives, chervil, parsley, onion powder, or mustard.  I like to add a dash of barbecue sauce once in a while.

Tomato gravy is made from tomato juice, tomato puree, or crushed tomatoes in their liquid (canned is fine) seasoned with basil, oregano, Italian seasoning blends, chili powder, cumin and a bit of sugar to cut any acidity.  

Turkey gravy benefits from chicken seasonings, but also a pinch of nutmeg with lemon peel.  

Milk (Country) gravy uses milk as the liquid.  It is seasoned with pepper (freshly ground is best) but also can be seasoned with onion powder, parsley minced celery and salt.

Chocolate gravy just wowed me, especially on biscuits for breakfast!  Pour 2 cups milk into the shaker jar.  Separately whisk together in a bowl the thickening and flavorings: 4 TB cocoa, 3 TB flour, 3/4  cup sugar.  Pour into milk, shake like crazy to mix, then pour into a saucepan to heat and stir.  It is cooked 8-10 minutes just like meat gravy.  When thick, stir in 1 TB butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla until blended.  Serve warm.  

The nice thing about gravy is that it gives me a chance to use those liquids that would otherwise go into soup or go to waste, like the draining from that evenings' can of corn or beans, along with the meat cooking liquid or the liquid I poured into the meat pan to stir and scrape up the yummy bits.  I like soup, but using them for gravy is more immediate and is one more option for those bits that would otherwise go to waste.  So bone up on your gravy making and watch your gravy-loving diners' eyes light up!

Now that animals are being diagnosed with Covid, scientists have discovered the reason why ants do not get Covid, or any kind of disease....it is because they all have little anty-bodies!   (groooan0

Looked up Niegerian Dwarf Goats & Mary fell in love, but she is adamant they are pets, not meat animals.  She is ambivalent about milking, but would not mind that per se.  I explained to her that they need to be freshened for milk and have multiple births, and we would have to do SOMETHING with the surplus goats.  M is not happy with the idea of raising meat critters.  Oh well.  Hafta work on that, I guess.  She says chickens are OK, she does not see those as pets (at least so far....) I think I had better be the one that feeds & culls the livestock if we go that route.  

But darn, those dwarfs are sooooooo cute!

Hooray!  We FINALLY fishished the temporry garage (with our short working periods it only took a couple weeks. LOL)  Learned a lot along the way, so if we get a greenhouse kit we will look for the dome type.  This one was a bear to put up - parts missing, instructions & pics did not go together (what else is new, LOL) and the insturction writer obviouslly was a man with a 7 foot reach.  But we figured it out and got it done.  Improved on it some - ground was too uneven & rock to put on ground so we built a deck and set it up on that.  The cats love it, LOL.  We wanted something with more concealment than a tarp to move some items from the carport (which is open for the world to see and covet) so we can sort and thin out what we moved in such a rush and organize what we want to keep....and not.....We are only allowed 4 buildings per lot, and we already have 3 so we opted for a temp one, it does not "count".

2 nights ago we had small arms fire from behind the house, and when Mary went out to lock the red truck she heard a shot whiz by her.  Dunno if it was poachers on the lumber company land, or our drunken neighbor behind us, but either way....not nice. Nobody has tried to shoot the deer we feed....yet....we have a 6 point buck and a couple smaller ones, plus a doe with babies.  They are our wild pets, kinda.

We are debating adding livestock if things continue to get wierd....we figure chickens or geese, goats, and bees  for eggs, milk & honey to supplement our garden, foraging, fish and game.  There were pigmy goats for sale this week locally but $50 for one male and we are not sure whether that price is good or not.  We want to start with females anyway.  Maybe some of you ladies have an idea as to what would be a good price for some pigmy goats? That way if the zoning folks object we can stress that they are  "pets".  I have already scoped out some beehives with half-size supers (the honey holding part) since the full size ones run 60 lbs when full and we are both not eager to lift those!   There are several beekeepers nearby who sll queens and hive "nucs"  (nucleus) as they are called so no worries getting started there. 

But we would have to build a good STRONG chicken area to keep the coyotes at bay.....unless they are dumb enough to trap.  Generally the local hunting club with rights to hunt the lumber company land keep them thinned down nicely.  One nearby (well a couple miles away) couple has chickens and sell their spare eggs for $3.50/dozen.  One thing at  time though!  Fiinances are not all THAT, dontcha know?  The prep-stead starts to shape up......

        We could hold a picnic in here! Tucked near the house for protection.

7 hours ago, euphrasyne said:

Canned ham is fine for soup or deviled ham salad.  It makes a great ham biscuit around christmas time.  Its also good to add to beans.  

  You might look into the ham flavored bouillon powder as well.  It has a nice flavor and really punches up the flavor of a pot of beans.  Orrington Farms is the brand;  I got mine at Walmart and I notice it is still available in some places....like on their web site.  Im getting another 6 jars to replace those I gave to a prepping friend.  

The shopping reports are helpful, they encourage me to get up early for the granny shopping hours (right at store opening'  0530 at my favorite store (yikes) but worth it.  I was really angry when the media started playing all those clips of folks saying "there will be food shortages".  nothing creates a food shortage like making people fear a food shortage.  Talk about a slef-fulfilling prophecy!

Today we struggled with air conditioning.  This is the 2nd year in a row with AC issues - and our unit is only 2 years old!  Today we got with a paralegal friend and are looking into a civil suit against the mobile home contractors that botched our homes' sale and installation so badly that it is coming apart at the center seam (it is a double wide).  The AC was the last straw.  Our friend thinks we have recourse to force them to make things right plus pay us for the horrors they put us through whle trying to move down here while juggling chemotherapy and various other catastrophes they created with constant delays and changes.  Plus when we checked our financials it looks like they took us for a considerable sum of money as well.  It costs nothing to try I guess.  Meanwhile, we set up our window AC units yet again that we got last year when the AC died in July.  Of course, it HAS to be at least 95 degrees and 100% humidity when it cuts out, dontcha know?  

Stormy here tonight.  I was out feeding the outside kitties when it hit with a lot of loud  thunder and a sluicing rain so bad it scared the cats.  I had just called them into the car port for dinner (I knew the rain was coming, and they woud be sheltered that way) when it hit.  So I sat with them for a while and petted (and talked) to them (yes they are spoiled) until things eased up a bit.  It was an impressive storm.

I also use a LOT more cottage cheese this time of year....add to mac & cheese for "two cheese" version; to mac salad to power boost the protein; over toast sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar (a very old Weight Watchers recipe) for breakfast; stuffed into baked potatoes; made into mock sour cream;  mashed with yolks for deviled eggs; mixed with some pineapple; in the center of a 'flower sliced' tomato (my moms favorite diet lunch);  etc, etc, etc.  Quick, lowfat (if you buy it that way), protein packed, and COLD.  i even sprinkle on some Mrs Dash garlic & herb salt free blend and it tastes like ranch cottage cheese to me.    To think, I used to hate the stuff!  

With states being shut down yet again, and the heat of summer upon us, I thought I might share some of the summer heat recipes I use a lot....keeping the kitchen a bit cooler to lessen the strain on our old air conditioner is a priority for us when the temps get over 85 degrees!  Im sure I am not the only one that grew up pre-air-conditioning and learned to cook this way as a matter of course....(remember sleeping on the porch??)  So for those of us not lucky enough to have a summer kitchen here are the things I do:

BASIC TENETS

1.  Use the grill as much as possible (naturally)

2.  Cook in the morning when it is cooler, and refrigerate until dinner time

3.  Keep iced water & treats (freezer pops are cheap) on hand for cooling snacks

4.  Crock pot recipes really shine in the summer....as do recipes for electric frypans.  This way you heat the pan, not the room!

SOME OF MY BASIC GO-TOS

1.  Macaroni Salad: mine is a basic one, cooked macroni elbows, miracle whip, minded green peppers, celery, onions, and pickle relish if you have it (or chop    up a pickle)  Add whatever you like to jazz it up - leftover cooked meats are great.

2.  Potato Salad: potatoes, dressing of choice (I like hald sour cream, half miracle whip or mayo) chopped celery & onions.  Add eggs for protein.  The men I make this for on occasion like chopped bacon (for them bacon is a separate food group!) or bacon bits.  This is sturdy enough to satisfy as a main dish

3.  Baked beans, chili, butter beans, etc in the crock pot.  Hot or cold these are relished (yes even cold chili).  

5.  Cooler corn:  Husk corn, boil up a large pot of water.  Do this in the morning.  Put the corn and the boiling water in a cooler (Make sure it will not be ruined by the hot water, styrofoam might not work, but an igloo type should).  Close it up.  It will cook and be ready in a couple of hours, for lunch.  You might have to reheat the water if waiting for dinner, depending on how much the cooler cooled down.  This is a variation of haybox cooking (older than dirt)  popular for large corn feasts, as a cooler can hold a lot of corn.  Again I remember eating corn as a main meal, with sides of baked beans and pickles.  We

ate what was plentiful in the garden, and this time of year it was....corn, with watermelopn iced down in a washtub for dessert.  If tomatoes were overrunning the kitchen a "fire and ice" salad (tomatoes, sliced onions, dressing).  Good for large family reunions.

6.  Soft tacos or quesadillas:  put whatever you like in it.  Grill the quesadillas on the grill.  For soft tacos, just fold over (easier than wraps) and chow down.  

7.  Cold cut roll ups:  nice for those watching their carbs.  Lay out slices of cold meat, layer with cheese slices, smear with mayo if you like it in there.  Some folks use a pickle spear to roll around in the middle, others don''t.  Pretty on a cold cut tray with pickles.

8.  Grilled cheese sandwiches (with whatever you have around to put inside).  With an electric frypan the heat is more direct, like on a grill, and the kitchen does not heat so bad. (heck, take it outside with an extension cord & cook on the picnic table!) We use grilled cheese with ham, or bacon, or chiken cold

cuts, or even fried eggs.  Nice with fresh tomatoes, but a little messy to eat.

9.  Pizza on the grill.

10.  Devilled egg plate (my DHs favorite in the summer): devilled eggs, well chilled, with cheese fingers, and assorted garden veggies cut for eating by hand, with a dressing to dip in (he loved ranch). Arrange restaurant style in a circle on a plate.  (Add a hot cup of coffee if you are one of those folks like me

who does not feel they "ate" without something hot, LOL. ) 

Im sure there are many more hot weather meals I have not thought of.  But with our wonky economy right now, keeping the air conditioning bills down is a real help with stretched budgets, and the old timey summer recipes are helpful once again.

That looks wonderful!  Outdoor kitchens are all the rage nowdays and having a covered one, well, that looks terriffic.  Please put up a pic when it is set up for us all to ooooh and aaaah  (and drool) over!  What a sweet husband!  Wish mine was handy like that...Im still trying to figure out the gearing to convert a ceiling fan to turn with a chain and sash weight system, kinda like the old cuckoo clocks.  I got the picture in my head, just cant figure out how to DO it.....

After a couple days of not eating, our oldest chihuahua (Snickers) ate breakfast.  He was missing his long time pal.  He will probably be next to go he is almost as old.  I am researching training options for Jack.  We narrowed down his problem....he is possesive and aggressive against the shep-malnois and our ex-fight dog chihuhua.  (Of course it does not help that the chihuahua is also jealous and looks daggers at Jack every chance he gets.  Unfortunately there are a couple things he is possessive of....food (that is easy to handle) and ME (not so easy to handle).  I fear that disciplining him after an outburst results in the attention he craves, albeit negative.  So tomorrow we go back to daily obedience training practice, with an emphasis on "down", "settle", and "kennel". Im hoping that getting positive attention for good performance will result in less desire for negative attention for naughtiness.  

 I have not tigured out how to get him to be quiet yet.  First we tackle the aggression, next the noise.  I really do not want to give him up, he is a good boy....MOST of the time.  So I will devise a "job" for him - going to training - hope it helps.  

The garden is suffering in this long heat wave.  We finally had a decent rain - about 1 inch - usually it misses us.  Our water bill is going thru the roof but we are determined to save the garden.  Supposedly we are getting another stimulus check...we are going to have to put in a greenhouse over our raised beds, and get a shade for the sun.    Researching our prices & options for that too.  Who says retirement is boring????? Not I!

Rain!  We FINALLY got some rain!  How awful though that others have to get clobbered by a huge storm for us to get a decent rainfall.  

And the heat wave has decided to give us reprieves at night, so we can turn off the air conditioning and keep the units from icing up due to the humidity.  Good thing all around.

Our elder Aussie is gone.  His tremors got worse, he could not hold his urine and could not eat without us holding the dish in a particular manner, and then only a little.  He was frustrated and gave up.  But we did get him to eat some of his favorite - chicken - and take a good drink of cool water.  He especially hated not being able to get outside before peeing.  He cried.  So Mary & I took him to the vet, wondering if he had a stroke.  No stroke, just advanced age and unlikely to improve.  More likely to worsen.  So vet gave him some sedation and we loved on him until he fell asleep, then the euthenasia solution.  Tears all around.  He was 16 years old - very advanced for an aussie, and we are in mourning, as are his closest doggie buddies.  His oldest friend, Snickers, would not eat for 2 days, but today had something.  The others keep looking for him. 

Mary wants another Aussie....I was hesitant, asking if we did not have enough dogs (6) but she wants one very much.  So....we will probably get another aussie.  Aussie Jack is calming down  a bit (either that or we are learning his triggers and managing them better) but either way he is improved.  He takes his pills like a champ - I dont think he even knows they are in those goodies he relishes so much!  Mama kitty and babies all doing nicely.  They look like mini-holstein cattle - black and white - but are marked quite attractively.  Some are LOUD when Mama washes them up but if I had that rough tounge on my tender parts, my gosh, I''d probably yell too!

Went to the doc, she changed my bloos pressure meds to a lower dosage - my blood pressure was running too low (I did not know there was such a thing as too low, lol).  I take my BP several times aa day and keep a chart for her - I noticed years ago that doctors love those long term blood pressure records, it helps them to see what is going on day to day, rather than guessing based on a single reading ot two at the office.  Its just one more thing in my going to bed and waking up routine, so no biggie.

Another day.  Mama and kittens are doing fine.  Our oldest aussie, Max is starting to fade - he is 15 - and he has been blind & deaf for about 6 months, but was chugging along working on scent.  Last night we noticed he is starting to stumble, and this morning he is very restless and unsteady on his feet.  We are expecting him to pass on today, but opted not to go to vet for the euthenasia, as he does not seem to be in pain.  Instead we are petting him, making him corfortable, and simply waiting.  Chainsaw Mary wanted the shot, but i asked her why, if he is not in pain, should he not go comfortably at home instead of in a scary setting of the vet (though he does like the vet).  Some dogs are special and Max is one, so he deserves to just slip away among friends and family.  He will be cremated and hi memory honored.  

Sovial Seurity day today.  Paid up the last of the month's  bills.  Not much left, but then again, it is enough, aand it is all I ask....enough for bills and food for me and mine and I am content.  No good sales on groceries, so we will see what develops for Pension day.  Yep, we named those days....our mini=holidays...kinda like Thanksgiving, we give thanks for making it another mile down the road, LOL.

Well, brand new mama kitty decided to have her litter last night.  Under the front steps where nobody can reach them.  Where it bakes in the 110 degree sun afternoons and water rushes in when it rains (both of which we were supposed to have today).  They caught her unaware - first time mother & Im not sure she knew what was happening for baby #1 - I found him screaming on the concrete driveway pad where she likes to lie down in the cool evenings.  Rescured him.  Hunted for and heard her under the front steps.  Got a crowbar, pried off 1 board and got her and 2 more little ones out into a prepared bed (she was familiar with it because it was under the shed where the kitties sleep).  Because we handle & pet our outside kitties a lot, she trusted me and did not fight when everybody got boxed, taken indoors and put in the bathroom tub (safe, dry, climate controlled).  For a first timer she was doing well - cleaning and nursing the new babies, even the one she had lost getting to her under-porch place (I was relieved, they are too little to hand feed so young).  Shut the door so she could have privacy, after making sure she had fresh food & water where she could reach it).  Left a note for mary about the booby trapped front step and went to sleep.  

Surprise!  woke up and Mama has 5 little ones (no wonder she was so miserable)!  All looking like strong little wiggly peanuts, pushing in to nurse.  Mary fixed the step (I had pried it up carefully, not even bending the nails, so we could just pound it into place, which she did while I made our breakfast pancakes).  Mama is tending the babies, eating canned cat food (extra rations because she is nursing) and loving it.  She loves being petted when we look in on her.  Yay!  It looks like she will be a good calm mama.

found another one....

UKGuy                    October 5, 2005

Sour Wiener Gravy              ( recipe by DomesticGoddess )

This is an unusual kind of gravy, made with sliced wieners, served over mashed potatoes.

The first time I had this, was at my sister-in-laws over twenty years ago.

I've changed a few of the ingredients just abit,

but since then, it's become a family favorite.

Our daughter Jenny prepares this for her husband, who loves it.

5 3/4 cups cold water

1 medium onion, finely chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

30 store bought gingersnap cookies

( I used the Ripp

in Good Brand. Do not use home baked gingersnaps. )

1 1/2 cups 5% white vinegar

2 lbs. thinly sliced hot dogs

hot-cooked mashed potatoes

In a large deep 12-inch skillet, combine water, onion, salt, pepper and gingersnaps.

Let sit for a minute or two. Stir until cookies have dissolved.  Add the vinegar and sliced wieners.

Heat over medium-low heat, until it almost boils and is some-what thick. Serve over the hot mashed cooked potatoes. Serves 8-10.

 Note: I butter my potatoes first, before spreading on the sour wiener gravy.

Ingredients to this recipe use to be:

6 cups cold water

1 small onion

20 gingersnaps

1 1/2 cups 5% white vinegar

1 lb. sliced wieners

I thought the gravy was a bit too runny, and there weren't enough sliced wieners.

I think my modifications to this recipe made it even better.

I love my hot dogs!  especially when they go on sale under $1 a pound.  Even the food bank has a freezer for hot dogs & bologna.  

our prodical cat returned - i heard him calling at the door the 2nd night after he disappeared and he happily came in and headed for the waterer.  Not surprising, he had been outdoors in 100+ heat and a thunderstorm.  IDK why he tried to run out the door when he does, but the last 2 times he has ended up outside in downpours.  You think he'd learn.  He is very lovey dovey, glad to be home I think.

Lost another kitten to a recliner fatality.  I use a hassock as I am afraid of hurting our smaller critters, but CM does not, and she forgets to check before slamming the leg rest down.  Very sad, but at least it was fast (broken neck).  She is heartbroken, she liked that little one.  Another outdoor kitty is getting bigger & bigger....trying to keep an eye on her in case she needs help as it will be her first litter.  Also steeling myself for a high loss rate, first timers are not always good mothers.  Oh well, cant tell a cat what to do any more than some people.

The okra is starting up - I have been waiting with bated breath for fresh okra.  Now I have to teach CM that bigger is NOT better with okra....she brought some in that would have made good daggers, they were so large & hard!  But oh, the smaller ones....delicious!  Now the beans & tomatoes are starting to go on strike due to the high temps.  CM wants to pull, I say wait until you have a replacement ready, they may perk up when the hot spell passes. Peppers are showing calcium deficiency so we will give them antacid watering a couple times to stop that nonsense.

We are also waiting on finishing up our construction projects until the temps get below 95 degrees, and are trying to keep the air conditioning from icing up due to the high humidity.  Ahhh....summer.....I keep telling CM it is over-rated, LOL.    She says shut up and lets go swimming.  Good idea.

'

On 7/8/2020 at 3:31 PM, Midnightmom said:

That "article" from the Thai newspaper was quite interesting.  

yes it shows what the mainstream media is putting out on the international wire for other countries perusal.  No wonder they think we are nuts. 

Disinformation used to be a bad thing, back when it was called propaganda, and the OTHER guy was doing it.  Now our press is doing it, and not even trying to disguise it.  No facts, just political agenda......

Note to self...Mr Murphy is alive and well, and a PITA as usual.  

We are trying to assemble a 10x13 foot temp garage as a storage shed.  Not going according to plan.  Chainsaw Mary (says Hi, BTW to all you here at Mrs S) is not one for following directions, and is prone to just up and start working while she has the energy and the day is {relatiely" cool, which sometimes makes our projects more involved.  So far we assembled the framing, then discovered that the place we wanted it was not level.....so we DISassembled the framing and started again.  We tried putting it on concrete blocks, after hauliing several loads of them from an abandoned pile we spotted.  Put them in place, ahd...yep,  still needed leveling, so had to move them all over again.  Finally the directions were referred to.  Oooops, we cant even use those  blocks, as then there is no way to anchor the shed against wind without major and questionable modifications.  Oh well, now we have a nice big fire pit.  Heck, several of them.

Ok, got out the tiller and a shovel.  Till, till, till, rake, rake, dig, dig....not enough.  Repeat two more times.  One side done (only took all day, lol).  Three more to go.  Knocked off for a siesta, as it was 96 in the shade where we were working (thank goodness for that nice breeze!).   Sometime during all this M laid her hand open working by herself.  She is not as careful when working alone, and she was too impatient to get going to wait for me to finish loading the dishwasher so it could run as we worked.  Fortunately no stitches.  Slapped on some triple anti-biotic and a stretchable bandage big enough to cover.  Now she is working Michael Jackson style (one glove) to protect it.  

M is watching You Tube videos of men putting together the same kind of temp garage.  They do not follow directions either, which encourages even more variations (and do overs).  But we are still working away at it.  The directions say it will go up in one day.  BALDERDASH!  is all I can say to that one.  AND one of our cats was gone a-wandering.  Hope he comes back, he was a sweetie and I fret about my critters.  The latest kittens are at the scurrying around getting underfoot stage, he may have left for some peace and quiet, LOL.