Jeepers

Son is home from the hospital. He is doing okay. Not much was done for him. That is not a complaint. I don't think there was much they could do under the circumstances. They have run a lot of tests so that will be a good thing. Assuming he isn't keeping anything from me. Mom's worry. That is a sad situation Mt. Rider. She is fortunate to have your husband looking out for her. I'm sure it preys upon his mind though. I dozed off yesterday, or was it today. Anyway I got a call. The plumber was in the driveway. I had no idea he was coming. Sigh. So I got dressed and let him in. All he needed to do was put a collar thing at the bottom of one of the pipes coming up through the floor under a bathroom sink. It was cosmetic. Anyway the poor guy cut his finger really bad on it. He bled like a stuck hog. Luckily, I had some bactine and some old bandaids and got him fixed up. He is a young guy so was amenable to having momma take over. Anyway, the bandaids were pretty old and had been through a very damp house (pipe broken fiasco) and were still really good. Lots of sticky left on them and they were the stretchy kind. It surprised me. They are Curad brand. I'm going to restock some of those. That stretch helped to make a compression to hold the cut together and made it stop bleeding. I told him about the importance of having a tetanus shot especially in his line of work...plumber. He said his company offered them for free every 10 years to their employees. Awesome. That is the only vaccine I highly recommend. Especially for people who work with their hands like farmers and tradesmen. I found a few more things that need repaired like a big seam on the corner of a wall that is coming apart. Dang. More workmen in here. But this needs to be fixed. It's about a 6 inch long scar looking thing. At least they are eager to get things fixed and get it done. Plus it further delays a lien on the house. I still haven't heard if State Farm is going to pay the rest of the money owed to the construction company. I think it's around $40,,000 now...I think. So now I've been up since 2:00am and raring to go. My days and nights are definitely turned around again. I'm going to demand the doctor give me some ambien to get me straighten out. We'll see how that works out for me. Probably can't get any of it anyway now days.

Haven't seen you in a minute and just wanted to make sure you and your family are doing well. Last I read the wildfires were mostly put out but there were some still burning. Hopefully not in your area. Just wanted you to know you are being thought about. .

It's going to be a very long day for me. Probably won't get much done. Son passed out and ended up in the hospital all night. Blood pressure issues. Probably got it from me. Although his was mostly low. He is going to be fine. Praise the Lord! But it was a scary night for his momma. Anyway, we texted each other all night. I'm not sure if he was more afraid or just lonely. I'm thinking lonely. We can talk for hours so it was not a problem. According to the tests, his heart and everything is within the normal range. That was my main concern. They ran all kinds of tests which was a good thing. Hopefully he will get to come home today. So far all the doctor advised was to lay off the coffee. He hasn't had any complaints about the hospital that I've been hearing about. Will pump him for info when he gets home. One thing that surprised me was they let his 7 year old in to see him at 10:00pm. He sent a picture of them. Used to be a kid had to be 14 (I think) to visit because they are little germ factories. I'm going to try to stay awake so maybe I can sleep tonight. Assuming they discharge him

I'm going to try my hand at rebel canning this year. We aren't big fans of canned carrots but I've seen a recipe for canning them in onion soup. 'They' say they taste like roasted carrots which I like. Maybe G-son will even eat them. I'm also going to try it with potatoes too I think. But it isn't an approved method.

Odd about the potatoes varieties. Most canning books say to use Yukon Gold for canning.

Bumpity-Bump-Bump. I read up there someplace where someone complaining about the mushy potatoes in the bottom of the jar. This is most likely potatoes starch. Harmless but gross looking. If I don't blanch my potatoes and skim them before canning, then I soak the raw ones, usually over night or a few hours to skim off the starch. Canned potatoes fried with onions in bacon grease is very good. I usually do rinse them before dumping them in the skillet. It depends on if there is too much starch in the bottom of the jar. They are also good in soups and stews. For safety sake, be sure to pressure can them and not water bath.

Sorry Nicie. We were posting at the same time. It isn't new. Just something the oldtimers used to do. You need to let the jars cool down naturally. It's the same reason you don't leave your jars in a canner over night. It can cause something in your food called Flat Sour. It won't kill you but flat sour will make your food taste sour. Prolonging the cooling down process is what causes it. Just let the jars cool down naturally when you take them out of the canner.

Your MIL sure keeps you on your toes. I got most of my errands run today. I didn't think I was going to because it was storming. I braved the elements. Got a boat load of paper stuff to the recycle dumpster. Took 6 bags of trash to a different dumpster. Then deposited the last insurance check that got signed. I sent off my car insurance bill. As much as I dislike State Farm, my car insurance is pretty cheap. Granted I'm a senior and the Jeep is old and I have a squeaky clean record, my bill is $216. for 6 months. Full coverage. I heard other people saying their auto bill was going up so I wanted to get mine paid before they raised my rate. It isn't due til April so I have 7+ more months at that rate. Went to Wal-Mart and got some more food and cleaning supplies. They were pretty well stocked up. The freezer cases were fuller than they have been in a long time. Kinda surprised me. I forgot to check out the med aisle. But our Dollar Tree stores around here are well supplied on meds. Nothing else though. Tomorrow I need to go to Costco to see when my membership runs out. I never use it but DIL does. I hope it hasn't expired. DIL would not like that surprise. I'm more of a Sam's Club shopper. Especially since Costco doesn't accept Master Card. Then over to Best Buy to get a laptop...hopefully. I want to swing by Att to see about canceling my cable. I never watch TV any more. And if I can't figure out how to rehook up my internet, they might have to come out and do that.

I have seen that potato recipe someplace too. I can't remember where. It's bookmarked in my computer that has no internet. It was from a lady who either was, or lives in Mennonite country. Not Homestead Tessie. They do look good though. Suttons Days used to do quite a bit of rebel canning before she went after Rose Red. People called her out on it and she took down some of her recipes. Speaking of...did you notice she 'grew' dreads all of the sudden? Reminded me that The Kneady Homesteader had dreads put in quite a few months ago. Speaking of...I wish Kneady would remove the old video of her covering over canning jars with a towel, hot out of the canner, when she was a newbie. Guess in just being picky today.

Momo, I'm sorry you are having a rough time of it. Medicare isn't what I thought it would be either. I think my supplemental insurance pays more than Medicare. Americans don't get taken very good care of do we? You hang in there girl! It will happen for you. So glad you were approved! I know what your son went through. My mortgage was sold to Bank of America. I didn't like that. Only good thing is they opened a branch in my town about 5 years ago so I take my checks to them and they send it to California for me. I have one person who works with me so I can call her directly. I guess she is my advisor or what ever. It's been 14 months...

My plans were put on hold today too. I had a lot of errands to run but the construction guys are here fixing my sinks. There are a number of minor issues too. They will have to come back. Drat. I hate workers in the house. I dont know what to do with myself. Especially with no furniture except for my bed. Awkward. The issue with the fridge was the water wasn't turned on. Problem with the dinning room light was the bulbs weren't dimmer bulbs. I didn't put those bulbs in. Sigh. I'm just on here now trying to look busy. LOL.

Awww. Little piggies are so cute. Great price! Necie, if you see this, could you Bump up the seed post with the pictures you posted. I know you reposted after the first one was lost but I can't find it anywhere. I wanted to ask about seed saving. Or if anyone else sees this a bumpity-bump would be appreciated.

I really thought of that but I was afraid the bags would burst open. They are cheap Dollar Tree trash bags. I think I'll try it though. It's clothes and towels etc. If it's a bust (literally) you know who is getting the blame don't ya? Midnightmom told me to do it. I'm holding you responsible.

Awesome haul Annarchy. Hope I can find some deals in Indy for the freezer too. I feel like I'm missing out and falling further behind. Ugh. Neighbors. You know my story with the creep Jimbo next door. The one who loves me like a third grader needing my attention. . I was waiting for you to say they were going to pave a new road for you. Nope. The bread looks lovely! Drama? Us? LOL. Just a major glitch or hack. I don't know which but some of us had trouble signing on. Then we had a reset and lost some posts. But we are smooth sailing...for now. Sounds like you had an awesome day too Necie. I wish we had a Rural King in my area. None in Indy nor Ohio. I will Google them for Indy though. I don't mind driving a little ways. All we have at both places is Tractor Supply. Seems like I remember a cousin in southern Indiana talking about a farm store that had the word Red in it? It was a long time ago though. I slept through going to the bank and Olive Garden today. Dang it. My days and nights are messed up again. Maybe tomorrow. I'm so sick of typing on this phone with my fat fingers. Hopefully I can get to Best Buy tomorrow and look at a laptop.

I really need security lights too. I forgot about that. I have one lamp post out in the yard and that's it. It's messed up too. I have to turn it on manually instead of it doing it automatically at dusk to dawn. Then when I do turn it on, it also turns on the porch light. So if I turn the porch light off, the lamp post in the yard goes off too. I don't want either one of them burning 24/7/365. That will need an electrician. $$$

. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hope you had a great day friend.

I have been prepping with 'soft' goods in mind for the past couple of years. Things like bath/bed linens. Also health and beauty supplies. I have plenty of clothes to last forever except for jeans. Also getting my kitchen all supplied. Basically, things that will be shipped from overseas. Which is about everything. I'm concerned with shipping. And China has been shutting down a lot of their factories. We manufacture nothing. This summer I'm going to concentrate on garden tools and things for the garage. I have about all I need for inside the house now. But I'm going to have to spend some big bucks on updates like appliances, countertops, toilets and sinks etc. And a lot of outside yard work, that I can't do, needs done this year. That will cost me! The trim on the house needs painted but it can wait another year. All of the window screens need repaired too. I think I can do those myself though. And I need to do a lot of canning in my spare time. I never went the storage rental route but when my DIL mother passed, they rented a storage unit to put her stuff in so they could sell her house. DIL doesn't want the stuff but she doesn't want to get rid of it either. So they are paying month after month on stuff no one wants. Now its out of sight... out of mind. That needs addressed. I have 12 trash bags stuffed full to donate. They are sitting in the hallway staring at me. It will really clear up some space when I get them out of here. Getting them downstairs and out to the garage and into the car is holding that up. I don't wanna.

They haven't paid it all yet. Just $15.000 more. I'm still $47,000 short. Hope son's go ahead and accept the offer so they can stop paying for 2 houses. BTDT. I can't believe how much stuff is still in this house too. I've pitched and donated so much stuff already. I move stuff around too. LOL. I'm clearing out the bedrooms but as I pack it up I stick it in a walk-in closet. When ever I get the garage cleaned up, the stuff will go out there.

Darn Littlesister. It always something isn't it? Something always need to be done. When I get rid of this mess another one is waiting in Indy. Hope it isn't a money pit. I was just thinking that apartment life doesn't look so bad sometimes.

I sent in a check for the mortgage company to endorse. It arrived back today so I want to hurry and deposit it before Bank of America goes under. LOL, just kidding. Sort of. Anyway it is $15,000 so that brings the debt to the construction company to "only" $47,000. Those big numbers scare the stuffings out of me. I'm waiting to go to the bank until this after noon because I NEED a Olive Garden fix tonight for supper. Angel hair pasta and a big salad is calling my name. I also need to stop at the store for some fruit/veg. And I still need a bottle opener. I have 4 of them...in Indiana. My construction company is addressing my issue with the insurance company. Something about submitting a supplemental estimate. There are a few small things the construction company needs to fix. She told me that a 60 day lien wouldn't start until everything is fixed. She said that lien threat is mostly for "deadbeats" to protect their company. I'm not worried about it. Yet. Hopefully insurance will cough up some more money. If I'm not mistaken State Farm agreed to the construction estimate so they need to pay up. Son got an offer on their old house. Around twice what they paid for it about 8-9 years ago. One hitch is water in the crawl space that he would have to fix. So, not sure if they are going to accept the offer or not. But it is encouraging. At least there are nibbles out there willing to pay. Gives me hope. Forgot to add that the bank said they were going to contact State Farm too.

Thanks for the info Themartianchick. I knew Violet was a master canner. I donated lids to some of her classes she had for under privileged women. I didn't realize she had passed away. We could really rely on her canning expertise.

Living is a good thing. Sometimes that's about the best we can ask for at the moment.

Yikes Miki. That could have gone south really quick. Thanks for the heads up.

I didn't like the looks of the smooth sided canning jars. I think Ball issued them with crafters in mind. And to me, that's what they looked like...cheap thinner crafter jars. That's probably a misconception but that's what I think of when I see them. I prefer Kerr because of their shape. They seem to be just a little more squared. They are embossed on one side only. But that one side makes them easy to hold onto. I wash my jars under hot soapy water after they cool so I need a grip too. Kerr is mosty sold out west so I have to order my Kerr jars. I can't find a one in Ohio or Indiana locally. I have to order from either Amazon or Walmart. I'm pretty well stocked up since 2022.

I worked a little on de-junking one of the bedrooms. Will I ever get through all of this stuff? I seem to get slower and slower. I'm going to store all of the packed up stuff in my master bedroom walk in closet to try to get it all in one place. It's a big closet. Then, lug it to the garage as I find the strength. I hate these steps from upstairs to garage. It doesn't help that I'm not a lite packer. I should probably repack some of the heavy stuff. Especially with the stairs. WARNING: long rant ahead. Take a bio break and grab a cuppa. More issues with the insurance company. I called the construction company concerning payment and that mechanics lien. I told her of some issues I was having with the house such as leaking drains etc. She said she'd send someone out to do a walk through to get things fixed. And the sixty days toward a lean doesn't start until those are fixed. I told her to not put a lien on the house because I will beg, borrow or steal the money before I let it get that far. She told me to not worry about it yet. They just have to warn their clients it can happen. Deadbeats. She also said if one is ever put on a property, it can come off within a day or two. I don't want it on my record period. I really don't think they would because I've always given them money when insurance sent it even before they asked me for it and we haven't had any issues. Our working relationship has been very good. Plus I hired and paid them up-front for extra work not related to the flood. In theory, I could probably sell the house and use some of that money. But as it stands, four people sort of own this house. Bank of America, insurance company, construction company and finally me. When I sell this house I want to make a clean break and never look back. Construction called my insurance company for the money. They said they already paid me the total amount. They said I cashed the checks. Sigh. No they didn't! Construction company was confused. They told me maybe insurance sent the money to my mortgage company. I called them. No they didn't. Crimony. For once BoA was nice and helpful. She went through all of the checks insurance had sent us (3). They have to cosign all insurance checks with me because they hold the mortgage. Insurance sends the check to me, I sign it and send it out to California, they sign it and send it back to me and I deposit it in my bank and write the construction company a check. Convoluted. She threw out the thought that maybe insurance was counting all of the money they paid out for a hotel. Could that be possible? I never received any money for that. Insurance paid the hotel directly. So now I have a call in to my so called adjuster who will never return any of my calls, to see what is going on. BOA was a little angry at the situation. Not at me but toward the insurance company. She told me to tell them I want a tracking number to all of the checks they have issued to me and proof that I cashed them. She went through all of their transactions and they were the same as what I had. If I'm not mistaken, insurance has sent me a total of $58,000 divided into three checks that BoA also had to cosign. Total construction bill is just over $107,000. Also, before all the insurance was involved. I set up a separate checking account just for money dealing with this house reconstruction. Now I'm so glad I did! I checked all of the transactions on that account, online. It shows all of the checks photo copied that I received and all of the personal checks I sent to the construction company. The very first check was "only" less than $6,000 for a new furnace. That was about a month into this whole fiasco. A whole year ago. I feel only slightly better since I can sort of prove I didn't cash any checks. Mainly because any insurance checks were always made out to both me and BoA. I couldn't have cashed them on my own. I couldn't even deposit them without a BoA signature on them. I'm tired of fighting and having to prove myself. My stress level is right around 1000%. I really want this D O N E. I can't sell the house until the construction company is paid because they can come back and put a lien on the house. Insurance dragged the process out for over 7 months before they even made a decision to pay and another 2 months before they issued any money...except for the furnace. So you know where they can stick that hotel bill. I detest State Farm.