Crazy4Canning

I'm so happy that you have something precious of your father's to not only use, but remember him by.

Congrats on the wonderful day!

We now have two types of chickens at our house; the Big Girls (the 3 Buff Orpingtons named Minerva, Golda, and Shira), and the Little Girls (one White Rock named Tikva, one Black Australorp named Hannah, one Barred Rock named Sarah, and one Spotted Sussex named Havalah.) The Big Girls are now almost 10 weeks old and the Little Girls are almost 4 weeks. Since our 'miracle' this weekend of the Littlest Girl, Havalah, (the spotted sussex) surviving severe dehydration, the other three Little Girls are out with the Big Girls in the coop to give Havalah a rest and a chance to grow uninterrupted. These two lots of girls have been together for almost 40 hours now. The Big Girls are tolerating this, but barely. Such looks of distain and shock! How could I, as a Chickie Mama, do *this*? How dare *I* make *them* share their space??? They look with distain at the Little Girls, like they are something to be avoided. They flutter down to the floor from the perch and the Little Girls go scattering. Everyone is sharing water and food, but sometimes, it's just trying for any sort of living creature to share. So, I found a roll of hardware cloth and opened up the coop, just a little, for some 'breathing room' until we expand the coop itself. In the process, I changed the water and food trays. The Little Girls (Sarah, Tikvah, and Hannah) were exploring their own clean dish and Minerva and Shira were madly pecking at the wood chips and crumbles that floated down from my hands. Golda decided she wanted no part of their fun. She had hopped up on the perch and was pecking at my shirt, tugging at it and chortling like chickens do. As I bent over to put the food tray back on the floor, she begins to look at me...and chortle... then pick at my hair. Now mind you, I was just at the hairdresser's today and my hair always reacts badly to a cut...and it was quite windy. My curly red hair was sticking out in many places. Golda proceeded to grab a hair here and there, chortling the whole time...hopping up and down on the perch. As I stood up, she flapped her wings and jumped into my empty hands, something she has never done. So, what do I do? I tuck her against my body and under my arm like a Mama Chicken. Here, she pecks at my shirt a little, settling down with her head over my arm making those cute little chicken noises in the process. What prompted this? I don't have a clue. I hold her for a few minutes, then she wants down. The other Big Girls look interested, hoping for treats. I wait for Minerva, but she hops away, clucking as if to say, "No way, nope, not on your life." Shira just clucks and turns her back to me. Golda proceeds to fluff her feathers and preen, apparently smug in her Mama time. I know that chickens are farm animals. I know they are poultry for eating and food production. I know there are some people who firmly believe that people are crazy enough to project human-like characteristics onto their animals. However, there are some animals who cross the line from 'food' to pets – those who just melt your heart from the beginning. Who knew I would be groomed by a chicken and like it? P.S. Havalah was becoming listless and lethargic again, I diagnosed it as 'loneliness', so I brought her home a friend last night, a new baby Buff Orpington we named Naomi. Havalah has been showing her how to drink, fling crumbles, scratch. Naomi follows Havalah around the brooder and they are becoming quite the pair.

What a sweet story. They may forget, but I know you'll remember.

SO was this a fainting sheep? So glad everything worked out safely.

This reminds me of the bumper cherry crop we had when I was a kid. For some reason, our Bing tree produced bushels and bushels and bushels one year. It was all we did for a month, to clean and pit cherries, drying them, canning them, etc. Mom kept finding pits all over the house and accused my sister and I of leaving pits. We claimed innocence. It wasn't until I happened to see the dog....that I understood. We had left 5 6-gallon buckets full (that was the 2nd picking!) in the kitchen waiting to be cleaned. The dog loved cherries and would come by and snag a few, eat the fruit, then spit the pits out of her mouth wherever she happened to be in the house....living room, stairs, etc. and mom would find them generally by stepping on them... Needless to say, we dealt with those cherries right away! Such a good memory. I hope you and your monkeys create happy memories!

Indeed, the alligators do come, and those who are prepared can fight them off well. I don't think you're crazy. Take from your dream what God will have you to. Last spring/early summer, I had a dream where I was watching my family starve...ribs showing, we couldn't keep ourselves clean, etc. I canned like a mad woman, reorganized the pantry, etc. Now, I am more at ease, but all I have to do is remember that dream and it motivates me again. Lots of hugs and strength to you, dear. Blessings, too!

Oh my. I'm so glad you posted on this. I've been meaning to research your ailment for a while now and could never be sure I spelled it correctly. I can empathize with the misdiagnosis and mocking doctors. It's happened to me and women in my family more than once. I also understand about the misdirected anger. It can flare up when we don't even expect or realize what we're upset about. I am so glad that you've said "Life is a gift we don't return" meaning we take it whichever way we can get it...even upside down and backwards. It's been at the forefront of my mind lately. Take care, dear friend. I'll be praying for you and thanks again for posting on this very important topic.

Have you been observing our lives from afar? Please, dear, take it easy. I do pray for your husband's complete recovery for when I cut my cornea, I was down for quite a while and the recovery was quite long. Do take care.

I have to post here really fast. I had both sets of grandparents around when I was small. My dad's parents never really got along with my mother for a number of reasons, so I never saw too much of them. As I was growing up as a child, they did favor the other 2 grandkids more - the first girl (a year older than me) and the only boy (ten years younger than me). However, as an adult, after I moved out of the house, I realized I had a set of grandparents I never really knew and took time once a month or so to go meet with them and get to know them. I'm so glad I did because some fences got mended that I didn't even know were broken. My grandparents accepted me as an individual and I was so grateful I got to know my grandpa for a few years before he died in 1998. This Grandma was the one who gave me her pressure canners and whose pantry I saw the sunlight glinting off the pretty preserves and fruit, heard the angels sing and KNEW I had to learn canning. This Grandma is the only one still living - she is 90. Unfortunately there is ugly family stuff going on around her 'estate'. My mom's parents were pivotal in my life. Grandpa died in 1998 and Grandma died in July of 2001. As children, my sister and I were over there constantly. After my dad got back from Vietnam and out of the Service, I understand we lived there for a while with them until they got a house somewhere. I barely remember this, for my sister was about 6 months old and I was about 2.5. All the time, my sister, cousins and I were over at Grandma and Grandpa's. Grandpa liked to garden, she cooked, planted flowers, canned, and enjoying her grandchildren. I barely remember her mom, my great-grandmother. I recall her as a white haired old lady who kept calling me by my mother's name. She had false teeth and would sometimes click them which I found scary and creepy. She died when I was about 3. I love listening to my mother's stories because my mom and her grandma shared the same birthday. I'm so glad I had grandparents in my life. My husband doesn't know what this is like because he wasn't around his grandparents all that much, due to his parents divorcing. He would stay with them once in a while, but not regularly. I do so hope that when I have children, they get the same wonderful experiences I had.

Atlas lids haven't been made since around WW II. Those are keepers for someone's collection for SURE! (Someone tell me please - WHY am I envious?!?! ) I've never heard of paper being on the under-side of the lids before. Give one a whirl one night while you're cleaning up the kitchen with some applesauce or something. You'll know for sure then. If they don't work, you'll know without hosing a whole batch of something. I've attached a photo of the 'new' box that came out last year with the Kerr label from Jarden Home Brands. The red is the regular sized lids and green is wide mouth. And you're right - any 'craft' jar is just for that - to be used for crafts and NOT cooking or much less cooking in. Use it for a button collection or a give-away vase or something.

What a great experiment! So very true about hunger being the best sauce! If you seal up the PB powder in smaller bags or jars with your Foodsaver, the powder will keep for a very long time.

Stephanie, You're not alone in these emotions. I feel this every time I visit a dear friend on the east cost. Maybe the emotions are made more poignant by the fact that it's completely across the nation, I'm not sure. With me, my friend doesn't cook. Her husband or oldest boy does. She could literally care less about food. For me, it's the center of the home, the point of which our diets revolve around and variety is indeed the spice of life. I HAVE to cook because I'm allergic to preservatives and can't eat many of the items from boxes, cans, or mixes. They will literally make me sick. Nothing is worse than being sick away from your home and comforts. Something I also found this last summer was that I was very uneasy with the fact my friend's 'pantry' was pretty much limited to the week's groceries. There was little put aside in case of emergency or crisis. That, I think, is what made me terribly uneasy. There was 1/2 case of water, a few MRE's (her husband is military) and possibly some ramen or crackers. NOT a good start for storage. I even offered to help her stock her pantry, offering lists to work on ahead of time for inventory, a rough budget of what basic items cost like oil, flour, etc., even prices on some rubbermaid for the pantry. I was politely turned down because it 'just sounds like too much work'. I love it when I go, yet can only stay maybe, a week. Within that time, not only is my husband missing me, my diet is completely thrown off, and I am missing the schedule of my own life. Not to mention the entire 'safety net' of my own life is completely gone. I'm so glad you got time to love on relatives and disengage from your 'world' for a time. It can be very therapeutic but also startling as heck with the contrast of details between families. Sorry if I 'hi-jacked' the post.I'm thrilled that you're back on MrsS and getting back in your 'groove'. Lots of Hugs to you and your family,

Oink, Congrats on the yard sale find. I LOVE doing that. Those silver lids with the white thing are actually Zinc lids with a porcelain insert. They were used like normal lids, then screwed onto a jar with the rubber disc at the base of the jar's screw band. The thought was that by heating the rubber ring, working it over the jar's band and holding it in place with the lid, it would be air-tight. Ummm. NOooo. Often times food spoiled or air would leak in. As the 2-piece lid/ring system caught on, it eclipsed the zinc lids, clasp-top jars, and glass-top jars for safety reasons. They cannot be used nowadays for actual canning because they are unsafe. However, many antique lovers use them on blue or old jars because of the 'look' of being old. The porcelain insert assured the user that the zinc never came into contact with metal food. I've got a couple of blue jars sitting in my kitchen window that have macaroni and these zinc lids on top. My Gramma said that they were used in the 20's and 30's but fell out of use because they just didn't or wouldn't hold a seal well. Regarding the other lids, I've used lids that are older, up to 10 years old. The red adhesive is really old. They were using the brown/beige in the 80's. If you have any doubts, don't use them. Lids are cheap, around $1.25 / box. It's not worth the safety of your family and your hard work to lose jars of food over older lids. So, save them, use them as decoration, etc. I've got a couple of boxes I've saved for that purpose. Have fun!

Yes. It's doubly hard here, for these folks were our best man & best woman in our wedding. As we were sitting at a farewell dinner, it hit me that for the last time for a while, all of our 'wedding friends' would be together. It makes me glad when I can stop my day and enjoy friends.

My eyes grew misty with memories at this. It reminded me of the holidays and summers at my grandma's house growing up. Grandpa and Grandma were only about 20 minutes away and so we visited often. Grandma didn't need an excuse to invite people over. The first sunny weekend of Summer she set forth the mandate that there would be 'dinner'. Everyone was expected to show and bring something. No fair showing up right at dinner time and leaving right after, either. You were expected to do your share. Winter or summer, the table literally groaned with food. We had meat, potatoes, stuffing (if Thanksgiving), salads, a hot veggie, and at least 2 kinds of dessert. If it was the winter, we used the good china. If summer, we used paper or plastic. As I got older, I began to help more in the kitchen and learned her secrets. To this day though, I can't replicate her fried chicken. Thanks for the sweet memories and never mind the tears in my eyes. They're from the good, treasured, precious things. Thank you.

The last week has seen me watch some dear friends pack up their home of 10 years and move to Texas. They got caught in the micro-chip lay-offs a couple of years ago and with a new baby, well, monies have been super tight. I watched them purge, sort, pack, and purge some more. Not everything fit into the moving van. Those things look huge on the outside but once you start squirreling boxes here and there, it fills up fast. Suddenly I realized, yet again, how much STUFF we have. I wondered why I have so many clothes, tools, dishes, books, and furniture. It is all really essential to living or necessary for comfort? It forced me to reflect that if I had to do a hard-core purge of my belongings this week, could I do it? Absolutely. What would I pitch? "Trinkets". Things that look nice in a home but are window dressing. Decorations, non-practical items, pictures, drawers filled with paper from my graduate work, notebooks from EVERY single class I've taken (that's been A LOT!)…a box of xmas things someone gave me (yeah, why do I have THAT?!)…the list goes on. It's spurned me to sort more and do more for our own organization. As I watched them sort, I offered help and was told, "Oh, we're doing it little by little, but thanks." I was NOT surprised when I got a call on Saturday (they were packing the van Sunday) from a frantic friend, "Please, can you come help? There's so much to do and we're running out of time. The baby is driving me NUTS!" So, I did. What was going to be a couple of hours turned into 6. I offered help packing or watching the 2 year old. I'm thrilled that I got 'baby time'. I did pull my shoulder out a bit, but swinging that giggling baby through the air will stay with me for a long time. I also got to hear bath-time laughter and chortles over his favorite snack of cheese and peaches. It breaks my heart that the next time I will see this child will be when he's in elementary school. The move for them hasn't been easy either. They got no more than a day's journey and the moving truck breaks down, throwing them a day off schedule. The carefully packed van is now re-packed in disarray. A tiny tree branch is caught in a side mirror and broken and they are threatened with a 'bill for damages'. While they are getting closer and closer to their destination every day, I'm getting closer and closer to the realization that I can't just pop over and say 'hi' or love on the baby whenever I want. I'm regretting the days I put off having tea or lunch with my friend because one or both of us were too 'busy' we couldn't make the time. Yet again, it seems, I've learned this lesson – don't put off spending time with people who are close to you. Life is too short, time flies by, and you never know when that afternoon lunch might be the last time for a while. The sadness does have a silver lining. Friends who are true friends are not bound by miles. Technology allows us to keep in instant touch by e-mail, photos, etc. Should I visit them in Texas, I will be expected to stay with them. I could also connect with a dear friend from college and make a boatload of new friends in some Congregations down there. Somehow, though, it only tempers the loneliness…BUT, with that does come the joy of anticipation of their new life.

After a fender bender on April 1 (ironic, huh?) I had to take my car into the body shop this week. Just last week, I had removed the studded snow tires and put on all season radials. An important sidebar: Last year DH got these fancy rims that didn't need hubcaps. He claimed they were cheaper than regular rims with lug nuts that needed hubcap covering. Whatever. He also said that they needed a special tool and that tool could only be used on those particular rims and nuts. Not as easy as any regular rim, I said, but fine. Little did I know this would be a problem come spring when he LOST the lug nuts to the fancy mag wheels. I had to go buy an entire NEW set. This was done just 3 days prior to taking the car into the body shop for some work. I've been enjoying a rental car for the week and I picked up my car this afternoon . . . Friday . . . with wicked rush hour traffic. The gentleman reviewing the work with me noted that I only had 2 lugnuts on the front passenger tire. WHAT? Where did they go?!?!?!?! They can't just jump off. Anyone who puts on lugnuts puts them on opposite sides - like on a clock - 10 and 4, then 2 and 8, then retightens them. These were missing on one side; 2 & 8 o'clock, respectively. After a conversation with the guy who did my tires - perfect work, YES, he hand-tightened all four wheels, put 4 nuts on each wheel, etc. I called the tire shop. They confirmed they sold me the correct amount of lugnuts AND the tool. Foul play? Gang initiation in the neighborhood to steal lugnuts? Could they have fallen off by themselves?!?!? Flabbergasted, I requested 2 more lugnuts and asked the tire guy if could they please check the air. So, the tire guy looks at the file, notices we come in there 'often' and comps me the lug nuts, about $12. He and another guy check the air. A pound or so low, but nothing to worry about. What did cause great head-shaking was the fact that on opposite tires - passenger front right and passenger left back, the lugnuts were loose enough to SPIN BY THEMESELVES. Unheard of with this tire and nut system. This young man (reminded me of my red-haired 'adopted' nephew) was absolutely shocked...he said, "Ma'am, I do believe you've given your guardian angels some extra work today. We haven't seen ANYONE drive in here with such loose lugnuts without losing at least one tire and damaging their axles." Did I also mention that while I was finishing the business with the body shop and driving across the bridge toward the tire store and home, my phone kept ringing. It was my mom...I hated to send her into voicemail, but I just couldn't risk chatting on the phone while I KNEW my car was missing lugnuts. I finally called her back and she was frantic. Seems her 'mama radar' had been going off and she was worrying. The first words out of her mouth after "What's been going on?" were "ARE YOU OKAY?" It's amazing how inspite of being an adult and married, I'm still not too old for Mama Radar. I was touched. I knew that when I needed it most, Mama was praying. Because of the prayers, I knew I was extra safe. Can you imagine the accident I could have been in? Losing a tire(s) on the interstate, possibly rolling my tiny car, let alone the physical damage to my body? Thank the Lord for Mama's who pray!!!

Happy news - I was down at the city planning office today and in conversation, I was told that I can have AS MANY chickens AS I WANT, as long as the smell isn't offensive. I just called and ordered a few more.

It's good to know I'm not the only one with a 'favorite' pet. You know, I DID offer a few worms about 10 days ago. I put a 'treat dish' in the brooder and there were 4 worms. They began crawling up over the side to get away from the light. The chickens actually RAN away and huddled in the corner of the brooder. (Then again my husband was standing right there with a louder voice!) They were working themselves up into a tizzy, inspite of me shooing them out into the middle of the brooder. I finally had to put them in the 'bucket' I used for changing the brooder. A few minutes and they were settled down. I removed the worms and sent them back to the compost bin. One chickie actually stepped on a worm (I think it was Shira) and the high-pitched cheep she let out reminded me of a 6 year old girl who was being chased by a worm. I guess I'm going to have to get an old pie tin and gradually train them that 'treats' come on it. BTW, I do hold each 'girl' at least once a day. Last night when I was doing this, Golda hopped onto the water holder and was eyeing whomever I was holding, pecking at the corner of my apron, tugging at it. The other chicks turned their back to her and eventually cheeped to get down. I had to hold her 'in-between' the others. It makes me glad I don't have 20. I'd be doing this all day.

So this weekend, the chicken coop was finished. It's not a coop, my husband says, it's a chicken palace. Big enough to house 20 chickens with room to spare. I would have been happy with a simple shed against the garage, but it's HUGE. Big enough to house the chicken feed, bedding, etc. There's even an overhang for my husband's worm bins. You want to know why it was finished last weekend instead of tomorrow or next weekend? My dad said he couldn't stand watching one of the chickens hopping and flapping, bonking her head on the lid of the brooder because she wanted OUT. He was worried that they might hurt themselves...me, I was worried that he was worried. They made SO MUCH noise when I was moving them, you'd have thought it was the worst torture imaginable. I transported them outside in a 6 gallon bucket with a cloth over it, moving slowly so not to jar them too much. In retrospect, I should probably have slowly tipped the bucket on its side and let them come out on their own, but I took them from the bucket myself and placed them on the floor of their new home. They didn't know what to think, it was all so new, big and, well, NEW and BIG. I waited for them to discover the water and food, and finally my husband called me and said, "Sweetie, we have to go. We're meeting friends for dinner and you probably want to get cleaned up. They'll be FINE. Come on." So, even though I wanted to stay longer, I left them. The temperature was fine. They had fresh food and water. Everything was fine. I go out there the next morning and the piles of wood chips had been flung everywere and the chickies were cheeping and making their usual noise. My husband was right. They were fine. I left an over-turned bucket in the brooder (for sitting) and when I went in today, I noticed some feathers and such on it. I go to brush it off and to my surprise, Golda flutters up and sits there, cocking her head like she's waiting for me. I didn't think she was big enough to do that! So, I bring in some food and gently pick her up. This buff chickie burrows into my arm and nestles into my lap, gently pecking at my fingers, pulling at an apron string. Moments later, she walks across my legs, down onto the wooden roost and flutters to the floor of the coop. Before I had gotten over my amazement, she fluttered up into my lap again and walked across my legs, onto the roost, fluttering down to the floor again! It was a game. She did this a few more times before she chirruped in a satisfied way, finding the new water I put in. Scientists say that a full-grown chicken's brain is about the size of a walnut. So, these few-week old chickies' brains are in all probability the size of about half an almond or so. What was in the Creator's mind to give this particular chicken something beyond instincts for survival? I don't think I can answer. What I do know is that animals of any sort are amazing. Who knew I would have a chicken with a sense of adventure and humor?

What is 'boring' to one person is fascinating to another. My grandma showed me an old accounting book she found of her father's. It was amazing to sit there and read his accounts of 'Mr. Johnson - 3 layers, .25' Mrs. Wheaton, 1 dz eggs every week', etc. The note that warmed my soul though, "Saw first crocus today. 18 degrees out. Glorious purple color. Can't wait for spring".

He is a sweetie. Those paws and face are SO CUTE! I'm so glad you're enjoying him. I think you're good for each other.

I share your joy! I found 2 bags of berries I forgot about in the freezer and we had them for Passover! YUM!!!

Good gracious, girl! Those winds can be scary. I've not experienced a 'caine or tornado either, but we've had winds here that have gotten pretty bad. Glad you & your family are safe.