Midnightmom

Don't allow your self-worth to be influenced by other people.

The size of that fridge is amazing! I can see why you were thankful and passing on the praise to the hotel!

It's a good thing that they also tried CPR and called 9-1-1 instead of just waiting for you and your dh to get there. I'm sorry their efforts did not help her to survive, but they did all that they could - left no stone unturned. It is hard to move on after a loss like that, but you will be able to do it if you remember to reach out to other loved ones when you are feeling overwhelmed.

Our Walmart sells them for $4.42/doz! Some of the other stores are even higher. I got used to the $1.00 for any size drinks too. Feb 1 the prices went up to $1.29/drink + tax, still any size. Our Safeway gas station sells regular grade for $4.09/gal. I pay $4.19 because I use a credit card. Gas may be slightly cheaper at the AM/PM, but they don't have attendants who will come out to the car and pump it for you - a benefit of having a handicap license plate or windshield hang tag. Maybe the shelves were bare because March is (supposedly) "Frozen Food" month? I haven't noticed any sales on frozen foods locally though. That's a lot of zip ties! Better buy a lot more now because they do have a tendency to break when left out in the weather. As for me, I purchased several heads of cabbage at 38c/lb today. I am hoping to get it chopped up and into the dehydrator. (Just got a new 6 shelf Cosori) Being St Paddy's day, they were selling a LOT of it. So much in fact that they were not bothering to take the large outer leaves off of them. Do you know how hard it is to find green cabbage w/ those outer layers??? Almost impossible! I snatched up a lot of the leaves that other customers left behind, and I also did them the "favor" of removing the outer leaves from a lot more of them. Why, you may ask? I have grandious plans of using them to make stuffed cabbage rolls for the freezer! My IHSS worker is here tomorrow and she can do most of the standing at the sink cleaning them etc. I will probably also have her cut the heads up into "slices" for the dh. Standing for a long time really hurts my back and makes my legs ache so I count on her for most of the "grunt" work. She is only in her early 20's so she's getting the benefit of learning how to can and preserve a variety of foods as she help me. (So far we've canned "ugly chicken" & chicken soup, plus she got her hands "messy" when she helped me make up a gallon jar of sauerkraut to ferment. I put an aluminum baking sheet under the Cosori for better air flow because I didn't know how well it would stay cool resting on those cardboard boxes. The other pic is a side by side of the new machine next to my old 4 tray Excaliber. What a difference! (there is more space between the trays in the Cosori)

I never knew that! You are just a wealth of knowledge!

She might "forgive you" in this instance!

I googled it. Here is the landing page for info and recipes (for anyone interested in making it) https://www.google.com/search?q=switchel&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS936US936&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I sure hope you've used the last year or so to put some of this essential supply into your preps! I don't think any of us are as agile as these kitties, but perhaps you've installed a bidet since then? I keep lots of washclothes at the ready since it is only me and I don't have to worry about "sharing" them.

You can have your packages shipped to a "locker" - usually a local store. You might want to check into that so you don't have to worry about being there or worry about "porch pirates" stealing your stuff. Try this link. You will have to sign into your Amazon account to get locations. https://www.amazon.com/ulp/view?ref=hub_us_gw_001

Another snow pic. This is how much snow has fallen in Donner Pass this year (to date). Can you imagine having been caught in this amount of snow in a covered wagon in the 1800's??? Yep the snowpack is deep (about 3 humans tall - aka 15 feet) at Donner Pass near Lake Tahoe @ucb_cssl The season total snowfall is 52 feet. The students weren't working like this, just giving a perspective of the snow depth

Someone quipped in the comments under the pic that the only thing keeping the roof from collapsing is the snow against the sides of the building holding them up!

I watched a video a few years ago that explained why it happened. Apparently whoever did the first "survey" of the hillside it is built on missed some impt information about the type of rock it was built on - something about not adequate strength or "air pockets" or something along that line. There may also have been a lack of supports/pillars under the spillway. Don't remember exactly, but it was all taken into consideration when the spillway was repaired. From the articles I read, the eventual cost - after they found out all of the reasons for the failure that had to be addressed - was over ONE BILLION dollars! Perhaps this pic of the repairs under construction will give you an idea as to just how massive this spillway is! BTW - here is a pic of the spillway - on the left - and the actual dam - which is on the right. I found that video I referenced above. If anyone is interested in the science of how the spillway failed, here is the link: What Really Happened at the Oroville Dam Spillway? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxNM4DGBRMU

Here's a recent pic of the shoreline(s) of Shasta Lake.

(BTW- Lake Oroville is also quite south of where I am. It is about half the distance from here to Sacramento.) Does anyone remember hearing about the spillway at Lake Oroville crumbling and disintigrating when it was opened for flood contol back in 2017? Here's a pic to pique your memory! Repairing the spillway was a massive undertaking that took close to 2 yrs to complete. Here it is this year, repaired and performing its task of releasing water from the current storms (50K cubic ft/min) for flood control of Lake Oroville.

My sister and my mom called yesterday because they had been watching all of the news reports about the flooding - caused by levee breaks BTW (same reaon New Orleans flooded oh so many years ago). Anyway, I got a map of CA and marked where the flooding is vs where I am. I think it helped them to know I am not in danger of flooding (due to levee breaks but if Shasta Dam breaks or gets overtopped we are talking about a different scenario!) We have had some snow here recently but nothing like the massive amount that is falling in the foothills south of here! I will try to find some of the pics I've seen and post them here to give you an idea of just how bad it is for the people living there. ETA: I found some pics of the snow that has fallen in the foothills so far. More is coming, and homeowners have been advised to clear their roof of snow to avoid buildings collapsing. Not an easy task as some of these pics will show. Tahoe, CA got 20 FEET of snow! Mammoth Mt Also Mammoth Mt Meanwhile, here in the Redding area we got a few inches. It only snowed for about an hour, then turned to rain and melted off what little snow we did get.

I knew I had read this somewhere!

USDA Guidelines for making jerky: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/jerky.html?fbclid @Littlesister Check out this page for a list of changes/recommendations that have been published: https://www.healthycanning.com/whats-new-home-canning/

Most of the people that I "know" dehydrate/jerky chicken to make dog treats, so I don't think they make a whole lot at one time. No need to freeze it as you can store it in the fridge. The only long-term shelf-stable way to safely store chicken is by pressure canning it. It sounds like what you want to do is best done by freeze-drying it (yourself or purchased already processed). From what I've gleaned, there are 2 reasons: you've mentioned the first - it's not been tested. The second reason probably has to do with potential salmonella on the surface of the chix being mixed into the inside of the crumbles - maybe? However, you do not have to pre-cook you chicken pieces in order to pressure can it. You can raw pack chicken both boneless/skinless, OR, bone-in/skin-on. because squash "disintigrates" into a "blob" during processing and there is no assurance that the interior of the mass is heated adequately. Same thing with pumpkin. It is my understanding though that you can add sliced/cubed squash to a soup as part of the 50% solids allowed for these recipes.

If you mean made into jerky, here is a website that I found that will answer all of your questions: 6 Steps To Making Safe Jerky https://www.jerkyholic.com/6-steps-to-making-safe-jerky/ He goes over the proper techniuqes for thawing, marinating, and processing your chicken. Here it is in a nutshell: Defrost in the fridge Marinate in the fridge Heat meat to 160 to kill bacteria before placing in dehydrator Slice 1/4" thick Use curing salt (… No jerky recipe NEEDS cure as long as beef is heated to 160°F and fowl to 165°F. But it is another line of defense to kill bacteria and allows your jerky to last longer.) Store jerky in a cool dry place for up to a week or vacuum seal and freeze for up to 6 months. Hope this helps.

I had no idea that you couldn't do this! I just figured (assumed, that is) that you would follow the same procedures as for ground beef: par-cook it before canning it. But you are right; there is no tested/approved method. BTW- I haven't done it so far, and now I won't. However, I wonder if you could can "chicken meatballs?" No, no you can't.

Sounds a bit like Epilepsy. My father developed it in 1963(?). Most of the time he would have Peti-Mal seizures. He would be having a converstion with someone and a seizure would hit him "out of the blue." He would make a funny semi-laughing sound for a few minutes, and when it was over he would resume the conversation exactly where he left off - not knowing that he had suffered an episode. His epilepsy was brought on by the shock and stress of his father showing back up in his life (with a new family) after decades of no contact. BTW - seizures can be brought on by flickering lights, changing shade patterns, etc. Imagine driving down a tree lined country road on a sunny day. If your car is traveling at the "correct" speed a seizure could be triggered by the constant changing of the light/shadow pattern.

@Annarchy I have that one too, but the link was to The University of Pennsylvania, College of Agriculture, Extension Services, so I thought it would be an okay recipe. I just wanted to make sure I didn't misunderstand the options for using tomatoes in "my" recipe. Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe developed by Andy Hirneisen, Penn State Extension. Senior Extension Educator and Team Leader, Food Safety & Quality Expertise Food Safety Food Quality Environmental Monitoring Home Food Preservation

I was processing some of that chicken today that I got on sale (see Watcha Doing thread) and decided to watch a vid to refresh my memory because I wanted to jar it up bone in. To my surprise I found out that you don't have to process bone-in chix as long as you have to process boneless! Has something to do with the bones helping to conduct heat I think. I visited several university extension sites to confirm the info, and by golly it is so! It is also in the USDA guidelines under "Processing Chicken and Rabbits - Rev 2020," so I don't think the info is in the older printed book(s). I also found a sample recipe for veggie soup on the PennStateExtension site that indicates you don't need to follow a strict recipe when using tomatoes as the OP says. The caveat is, they used commercially canned tomatoes or tomato juice in this recipe, so I think it would be alright to make up "my own" recipe as that is what I use. The acceptable veggies include green beans, carrots, celery, peas, corn, lima beans, diced bell peppers, and fresh parsley. It also said "you could include onion for the peppers" or substitute "cooked or canned kidney beans" for the corn or lima beans. I will be making chicken soup with the remaining bad of chix drumsticks tomorrow following these guidelines. Perhaps someone could view the info and tell me if I've interpreted it correctly? Here is that link: https://extension.psu.edu/lets-preserve-soup