The WE2's

I know, I know, I don't need to add another picture BUT this was my view this morning as I sat in my recliner having a cup of coffee. It's just so beautiful that I couldn't reisist. It won't last long as soon the trees will be bare and the winter cold and winds will begin. What extremes we have here.

BeeeeUteeeeefullllll!

Not to be rude but you need to take Mt. Man aside and tell him he has something white all over his face.

 

I'm guessing (from my own experience) powdered donuts.

Stopped today to nose around the dutch store while headed home from another property, and found some 2 1/2 gallon white, food grade buckets w/lids for 25 cents! Bought $3 worth but think I'll go back and buy some more. Guess when they empty them out for re-sale in bags, they wash them out and then sell them. Good for my purposes! Can store food stuffs that I'm in and out of all the time and not have to disturb the 5 gallon buckets.

Guess we'll find a trip to Sam's in our future! LOL Watched a YouTube video of a woman using them in her breakfast in a jar demonstration.

I need to know what kind of stove you have and what kind of pressure canner. Also, what kind of camp stove ? Some do work, some don't. It cannot have more than 15,000 BTU's. Then, it has to be sturdy enough to hold the weight of the canner and jars all at once. That is a lot of weight.

My canner is a Presto, 10 qt?. Fairfly good sized, but not a double decker type. The big grill is a very big one that uses a trailer sized propane tank and also has a burner on one side of the grill area. (similar to pic) You have to roll it around on it's wheels, too big and heavy otherwise. Hubby wonders if we put it in out in the big garage with it's overhead door open, that would reduce the air flow and keep the burner(s) at a more even temp and still be able to vent fumes etc?

LOL...haven't subscribed to a paper in YEARS!!!

Thursday...got the hotwater working in son's apartment (upper unit at our homestead) so he can take a good soak! (No shower, overhead ceiling too low!) Went to our other property and let Abby have a bit of a romp in the yard, put a new lid on the toilet, found our drain stripper so we can use it in son's tub to make water drain quicker, dropped off a book at the library, paid water bill for this property, paid insurance on this property, then headed back to current "home" to meet another of Mountain Man's clients to start some work on his 4-plex. I AM SO GLAD GOD HAS BLESSED HIM WITH WORK! He's a retired builder, so now only does home repairs and improvements. Had to greatly reduce his hourly charge but we both talked about it and figured it was better to lower the pay and keep busy than to set around with no work. In his field of work things can be so seasonal! Anyway...stopped at a dutch market on the way home and found the most wonderful white, 2-gallon sized food grade buckets with lids, for 25 cents each!!! Bought 3 dollars worth. Figure they'll be wonderful for storing smaller food items and not have to worry about opening a 5-gallon bucket. I think me's gonna go back and invest in a few more! Rambling again...thinking out loud!Thought I'd post a pic of my Mountain Man! LOL

I'm still trying to get up enough nerve to try it. I bought a used canner early this spring and case after case of used jars...but just haven't been able to get up the nerve to try it. My kitchen is so small and my stove is electric (leary of burning out the elements). Wonder if I could fire up my big camping grill in the back yard? Has anybody ever canned outside on a big grill?

I'm still trying to get up enough nerve to try it. I bought a used canner early this spring and case after case of used jars...but just haven't been able to get up the nerve to try it. My kitchen is so small and my stove is electric (leary of burning out the elements). Wonder if I could fire up my big camping grill in the back yard? Has anybody ever canned outside on a big grill?

I agree with NOT trying to bake in a glass jar...what if it should break or explode? I think I'll stick to using my solar oven and a foil loaf pan. If there's not enough solar gain, guess we'll eat biscuits or cornbread from a skillet or dutch oven. I guess "to each their own"?

Oh my...LOL Reminds me of a librarian friend we have who purchased a cattle prod and decided to test it on herself. Unfortunately, her son had his cell phone camera operating and exposed her "experience" to everybody they knew! WHEN...she got up off the ground he was nearly dead meat! LOL

Both of my parents are still very functional (mid 80's) but I can just imagine what it would be like to have turn either of their care over to another. Be blessed and be watchful friend.

Wednesday...another beautiful weather day! Mountain Man is back to work on the screening project, hopefully done today. Can definitely use the $$! My "handwashing dish soap project was almost trashed, until I went ahead and bought a large bottle of my "blue stuff" (LOL) and added 2 tablespoons to my bottle of homemade. Working very good now...I got me some sudsy! Yippee! Should make the "blue stuff" last a whole lot longer. Is this treason? LOL So...I'll revamp my recipe to include 2 tablesoons of the "blue stuff"! Hubby wants to go to a swap meet a few miles from our area. It's one of the largest 4 day events in our state. Everything from chickens to car parts...you name it. Abby loves to go because she gets to meet so many animals, and becomes acclimated to new experiences. I think they call it "socialization"! LOL Going to work tonight on the apartment for son. So sad that his job didn't work out. Very stressful for all of us. He's been diagnosed as having PTSD so I don't know if that will help him get disability or not? He's got to have some sort of income to sustain his life. Us providing a roof over his head and him having food stamp privileges won't pay his utilities, car gas, medications (he's also diabetic) and tv/internet/phone package. That's why we "bug out" (or get the hitch itch) and need to just get away. Wanted to have a yard sale, but that will wait I guess.

Living on low income makes it difficult to stock up a pantry. We do have a place here in town that has marked down dented cans,etc. at cheap prices so yesterday I just bit the bullet and bought close to $20 worth of canned vegetables. I've been reading a lot this past week about the coming economic crash and I'm so unprepared. I'm getting things ready to start a vegetable garden in the spring. My DIL is going to help me do square foot gardening since I live in the city and don't have a big lot.

 

I'm always looking for more radical ways to save. I make my own laundry detergent, cleaning sprays, make my own womanly 'things' and use rags in place of TP (for small jobs). I cook mostly from scratch and 'can' whatever I can that is free. I also get 'brown bag' for seniors to help stretch my small budget.

 

 

I wondered if any of you ladies have some radical things you do to save money?

Does your area have a Salvation Army pantry? Some areas do and they help people out. There's also other types of food pantry's that help out. I heard once of an "angel food"? ministry that sold foods low costs.

Went to WM and bought refill jugs for liquid dishing soap (similar to Dawn)...just can't deal with the homemade formulations I've tried. Bought refill for sanitizer for camper...we use it for personal BUT we also squirt a few squirts on our fire logs to spice things up after we've put a match to a tiny strip of inner tube tire. Bought bar soap on sale...a couple of packages of 8. We love shower gels etc, but have started using the soaps...to get used to it. Also put back to pantry some shampoo, liquid hand soap and a few other items that our pantry "loaned" to us! LOL When I borrow from the pantry I usually pay back plus one more.

Yesterday I snagged hamburger marked down to 98 cents a pound. When I got home I made hundreds of meatballs for the freezer. I made two styles..Italian and regular. I am ready for alot of easy meals now. Just grab a pack of meatballs from the freezer and make spaghetti, sweet and sour, swedish, stroganoff..the possibilities are endless. Just add sauce and pasta of choice. It took hours but it will save alot more time(and money) in the future.

Wonderful idea! Of all the "ideas" I've experimented with, never considered that one...until now!!! Lookout hamburger...here comes Philbe...IF you're on sale? Maybe not, maybe just a great idea of saving time. Especially when on a camping trip...just pop a few bags into my trailer frig and meats are provided! Thanks MoMo!

I'm thinking of getting green felt, cutting out two Christmas trees, letting the kids decorate them with glitter glue, then sewing them together for Christmas presents for the grandparents. I'd like to put something cinnamon-y/Christmas-y scented inside them, probably with a bit of batting. I have cinnamon sticks, but I don't think they will smell that much from inside.

 

Any suggestions?

 

I don't know the recipe, but I used to work with a lady who made Christmas tree ornaments out of cinnamon & applesauce. She stuck holes in the tops to run threads through AFTER she baked them. Perhaps somebody here knows the portions of applesauce to cinnamon? Or online? Anyway, they were VERY fragrant. Hope this gives you another idea?

My TM's started that and I surely thought they were gonners. I trimmed off the blighted "suckers" and figured I'd just take what comes. Gave them extra water and let them go. Well, wasn't long before they started sprouting again and now I've got TM's like crazy. Figure? Guess anything is worth a try?

Local pantry was giving away free bread for those over 65 and on a fixed income. We have a local WM that donates regularly (and a Panera Bread) to the pantry so again, I've got a nice stock of french breads, bagels and round loafs. May seem like a little thing to some, but being stocked up with nice deli breads is truly a treat!

Tuesday...well our celebration on sons job was short lived. The owners of the biz had their grandson return to work (after quitting for 2 years!) and they gave him his job back. Guess it's hard times? Anyway...son's back to square one. He's applied for disability (he has ptsd) but don't know if he'll get it or not. He's pretty much knotted up right now, feeling the world is against him. I tried to assure him that God knows further down the line and no use to stew...but...with ptsd everything is a big thing! Soooooo glad we have him in the upper apt. for safe keeping. At least he won't be on the streets. Makes it alot harder on us financially though. Fiddlesticks Lord! Am I allowed to say that?

 

We have had mice off and on for several years, then none, then again. I was told to use dryer sheets, it seems they do work. Of course you need to change them once in a while, probably every month or less. I haven't seen a mouse now since I put the last dryer sheets out. I put them everywhere. People probably wonder why they are all over the place, but, if it works, don't knock it.

 

****I've heard dryer sheets work also, even for mosquitos if you rub them on your arms etc. However...our dear Abby dog chews them like bubble gum & swallows them (if we don't catch her!) and then hubby sees the evidence shortly! I'm gonna hunt me out some spots where I might be able to hid them from her!***

Way up here the aspens made a dark green and brilliant gold patchwork view on the mountain sides. It's been weeks and the bright leaves are just now starting to get dull and fly on the wind. Nice to have the beauty so long this year. Usually our gold is just a 'flash in the pan'.... er, so to speak. {that's the other gold we're famous for!}

 

[i'd take pics to post but...I haven't bothered to relearn that since the forum board changed 3 times back. Too many changes and I can't keep up. ]

 

NEXT of course, comes WINTER. That stays long enough!!!

 

 

Anyone know where Autum lasts all year long? I know of places where summer lasts all year [with some variance] but I need a place with Fall! Seriously!

 

 

MtRider [...still searching... ]

Autumn...ALL year long? Here we have a nice autumn that runs pretty much into the last of November-December...then in January winter comes right on in as usual, and last through February. Our last camping trip will be Thanksgiving, then we'll winterize for the rest of the year, until we go out again in spring. Normally our real cold is those 2 months. But not autumn all year! LOL

I got my middle-aged dog put down today. She's always been cranky and snappish, but she's been getting worse over time. When she snapped at me and took my glasses off my face, DH said I must have surprised her. Said the same when she just got a mouthful of my hair. When she menaced a four-year-old kid, DH insisted the kid must have provoked her. On Saturday evening she snatched another mouthful of my hair when I was adding food to her bowl, and on Sunday afternoon she attacked my nineteen-year-old cat. I distracted her with a towel, luckily, and the old cat staggered to safety. But this was just too much. I told the vet this was my year for losing them.

 

The black Australorp hens have both gone broody, so I ordered a new batch of bantam hatching eggs, which arrived today. (The first batch of hatching eggs didn't do well in my home-made incubator.) A friend wants the rest of the old hens, even knowing they're well past their prime as layers. She can have them as soon as she can get her son to put up an enclosure for them.

 

The cheese powder from Firehouse Pantry arrived today as well. A one-pound bag fills four half-pint jars. The orange version smells like Cheetos. The white doesn't. I don't know if this is a case of expectations affecting senses or a real scent. A one-pound bag of chipped dried tomatoes fills a quart jar with enough left over to mostly fill a half-pint jar. I bet the tomato would have all fit in the quart jar if I'd packed it harder, but this is also good--I wanted a little off to the side for experiments.

 

Over the next two paychecks, I'd like to get the ingredients to do some of the 52 Jar meals from Chef Tess. Has anyone done these? Any suggestions?

 

In case anyone's interested in writing a mystery, St. Martin's Press has opened a bunch of contests. http://us.macmillan....urbooks&id=4933 I'm playing with some ideas for a cozy mystery.

Having to say goodbye to a family dog is VERY hard! I've had to do it twice in my life with my late husband, and vowed NO MORE PETS! Current "Mountain Man" also had to do it and said no more dogs! Well...when we started preparing for full time RVing we felt we needed an "alert" dog...so...we adopted our Abby. She's been a handful for these 2 empty nesters, but the puppy trainers told us "she needed you two"...meaning she probably would have ended up in a shelter at best, since she's so strong physically and in attitude. Can you feel the hug I'm sending your way!? Hurry...catch it!!! As for the cheeses...we bought the canned cheese and are extremely satisfied with it (as with the canned butter) and will not use it up for every day meals. I've not tried the jar meals, but like you...I plan to give it a whirl. Probably simple stuff at first and then would like to give as gifts. Watched a lady on U-Tube and she made it look really simple. That I need...simple!

Found these unique little "items" (plastic shoe boxes) and love them for quick, grab & run storage. They really hold alot of little items and keep them safely "clicked" down. I keep one that goes from our bedroom to camper bathroom closet, one for my hair curlers, and this picture of one is one that sits in my bathroom for a quick grab & run. We also keep one in the back floorboard of the car and one for the truck also. Love 'em!

I find that the acidiphilous capsules work much better than eating yogurt. I take some capsules each day.

Agreed!