The WE2's

Did stop at a yard sale yesterday and made a wonderful find! A Paula Deen enameled, oval cast iron "roaster"? for 5$! It's red, but very similar to this one...I think it's a 7 quart size.

Yesterday was a long work day for both of us. Cleared the homestead's kitchen area of the table (was only there temp. until the dining room is cleared!) so we can begin to arrange the appliances like we want them. Cleared out the laundry/mud room to make space for the smallest of our chest freezers, and will move the one occupying space in the kitchen, to the space where the small one was. Hubby will be re-arranging the positions of the washer and dryer so they're both on the same wall, and then the chest freezers (3) will all fit. Then...we'll take the electric stove out and put in the gas one we bought 2 years ago as well as it's range hood. So much work that still needs to be done...but making progress. We're still waiting for the mechanic to call and say he has room for us to have the pickup towed there to get the replacement engine put in. All the green beans are in the big freezer so I'll rest a bit before I start pressure canning them. Would like to be able to just wait and do them when the homestead's gas stove is in place. The electric stove here is cantakerous so I have to keep finding a "sweet" spot to keep the weight where it's supposed to be. Makes it tough when using Tattler's ... so have used mostly the metal ones. But it doesn't make a big deal if one or two of the Tattler's don't seal. I just put them in the frig and use them for another meal. Had some really toad strangler rains a couple of days ago. We did fine, but had friends have their basement flood and a couple of towns away from us had highways, streets and roads flooded over/impassable. Hubby worked at the homestead on his wood racks. Needs to get the plywood and sheetrock out of the homestead's dining room and into the garage. I baked bread and listened to christian music off and on most of the day.

Happy birthday to your furbaby!

Last time I pressure canned our Okra with diced tomatoes and sweet corn. Processed as I would for corn. It's delicious over pasta!

Not an approved method for the squash and zucchini ... but ...I slice the squash in about 1/4 inch slices and raw pack. The zucchini I cut in cubes about an inch or so, and again, raw pack. I add water to them both, 1 inch head space. My potatoes I chunk them, and some that are small I put in whole. Works for me.

A must...we have a "man door" on that side of the garage, but hubby will run a line through from the outside...and we'll hide the tank under a lean to...keeps the govment off ya!

Been busy on my feet for days. Pressure canning potatoes and now zucchini. Still have yellow squash to do. Did some Mennonite shopping to pick up more lids (needed regular and wide mouth. That store had a limit of two of each kind. Also picked up some wide mouth rings. Then went to another of our Mennonite seed stores and picked some more Tattler's. She had the regular metal lids but they were in the really bulk sleeves...$70+ and I was out of dollars! Also did some other shopping at regular grocery stores for some canned goods, for us and for step mum. The only store in her town is WM, and we had to really do some shopping to find enough green beans and Yams but did get her a couple of cases. She feeds her Yorkie beans and sweet potatoes with his chicken. She'll just rinse and strain before she feeds it to him. He'll get about 3 meals out of each can. One can of each would last Abby-girl one meal! LOL On our way home a customer called hubby. Needs some sheetrock work done in one of his bathrooms and he has COPD and can't sand. So hubby will get new filters for his paint mask while he's working there and will drape off the whole bathroom to prevent any dust from escaping. Still waiting for the mechanic to call and say "have your truck brought to the shop"...we've paid the downpayment (for the engine) but he's needing to finish up some other jobs he's got in his shop. He's an older mechanic and works by himself in his small shop. Suits us just fine...especially the price! Had a good rain today so won't need to water anything. Good thing hubby did the mowing at the homestead yesterday!

Lots of lovely rain...so didn't need to water tubs today either. Harvested a couple of yellow squash. Got a Zuchinni that will be ready shortly. Lots of green tomatoes. The Canteloup look about the same but I keep looking for more! LOL Put some more Comfrey leaves around the roots of the plants. It appears that bugs don't like the Comfrey's furry side up! LOL I cut a slice in the leaf and lay it at the base of my plant. So far...so good. Love my Comfrey plants...and the "tea" makes a wonderful fertilizer...even if it is stinky! LOL

Lots of welcomed rain! Good flush and re-fill for the rain barrels and I'm sure the tubs will enjoy the "wetting" from the heavenlies! Hubby worked at the homestead on his lumber rack. Wants to get his lumber off the garage floor...and then worked some on the bathroom project. I think most of the mudding is done and now he wants to sand it down a bit before he paints the primer and then sprays the texture on the walls. Gettin' there...! I been pressure canning potatoes and then water bathed 16 half pints of blackberries...some from our freezer from last years harvest and some that were gifted to us. Stopped a day or two ago and bought some fresh produce from a corner vendor. I am truly enjoying the purple grape tomatoes and the canteloupe. My canteloups is about the size of a small basketball...3 so far. Tomatoes are still green. Yellow squash taking it's time growing to the size I want and the zuchinni is finally snapping out of it's funk and showing signs of life...LOL So far using Comfrey leaves around the base of my plants seems to repel pests that want to attack the root stems. I also have laid sprigs of my mint across the tops of the wire cages that I put up and that also seems to deter bugs. I use my Comfrey 'tea" as a fertilizer as well as some ground up Tums. I probably shouldn't tell what we save and dilute to pour around the perimeters of the tubs that deter slugs etc...LOL Fixed hamburger stew with sourdough bread for supper. Changed sheets on our bed and on Abby-girl's mattress and the soiled ones are in the washer getting ready for tomorrow...if it rains, hubby will take them to the homestead to put in the dryer. Hubby got the van inspected today so it's ready for tags at the end of the month. Need to pay the insurance on the truck but may have to pause the tags until the replacement engine is in...will have to pay a penalty but that's not unusual. Had to do that on the van when the transmission was being replaced. Guess I'll head for the shower and get things done for the evening. Supposed to have more thunderstorms coming in later. Abby's doing really well eating her chunk of cheese with Catnip hiding inside! LOL Finds her "hidy hole" and survives the noise.

Had a lovely day. Played "our song" (Anne Murray's "Can I Have This Dance") and waltzed in the living room floor. Then...off to Mennonite country. Found the half gallon jars so picked up four cases. Love them for storage. Also was able to picked up six packages of grilled chicken strips for our freezer. I love them for quick meals...with pasta's and sauces...or just sprinkled with Sazon powder and then our favorite sides. Heat index was 106 so it was imperative to stay in a/c ... even our Abby...we leave the van run with the a/c on full blast plus a small fan circulating the air even more. Being a camper van it's used to being run like that. Even on days that are not so hot, it has the Fantastic fan than we turn on high as well as the small fan, and three of the side windows cracked. We don't figure anybody would be brave enough to stick their arm through one of the windows with her looking them in the eye! LOL She gets quite aggressive when someone even taps on a window...even her human daddy! LOL Supper was spaghetti...one of our favorite meals.

Jarred up another 9 pints of 'taters...the rest will need to be thoroughly cleaned/scrubbed with the new veggie brush (very stiff) to get into any and all crevices, and canned as "new potatoes". Also jarred up 2 more half gallons of granola, six half gallons of potato flakes and then put oxygen absorbers in and listened for the "ping"...LOL Have a 2# bag of 7 bean soup that I want to go ahead and pressure can in some quart jars. Got some bacon scraps in the freezer, so since I've got the canner going I might as well get it done. Did take a nice walk this morning and then hubby helped me water the tubs, then home for my canning and he went back to work on his "projects"...more drywall work in the bathroom and more work in his garage for his lumber rack. Tomorrow is our 11th anniversary...we're gonna go driving and visit a Mennonite store that did have quite a few Ball canning jars, including some half gallons...which is what I'm after. I have plenty of other jars, but the half gallons I only have this one last case and I use them a lot for dry storage....pasta's...saltine crackers...granola...potato flakes etc. O2 Absorbers work great for that and I don't have to drag out the Foodsaver and it's kit...or use the hand pump. Nice cool shower and I'm done for the day...except for my book reading time.

Another very busy day...and it was raining this morning so no walk...but made enough trips up and down the homestead stairs to make up for it! Emptied and cleared out so much of our things that we've moved gradually over from here to there. Didn't need to water since it did rain "a little"...but I looked things over and they'll do just fine until tomorrow when I can fill the tubs tubes. Hubby worked in his homestead garage all afternoon clearing and repositioning tools etc., so he can build a "wood rack" that he can put his lumber on and get it all off the floor of the garage. In the meantime I pressure canned 9 pints of the red potatoes and still have a lot to do. THEN...the Russets. I forgot to oil the gasket on my canner (I haven't used it since last fall) so it didn't hold pressure...so...had to let it cool down and changed to the other canner lid very quick and re-started the whole process. One ring with a Tattler wouldn't tighten down... so tried another ring right quick...still wouldn't tighten down. Took the Tattler off and put on a metal lid, ring fit and tightened down. I'll have to take a look at what type of jar that is so I don't use Tattler's on it again! May pitch it! Still had to use one metal lid because I mis-counted my Tattlers and didn't want to boil water for just one. My bad. Needless to say...supper was Pizza! Been on my feet nearly all day and me is tuckered out.

Backatcha!

Did a quick and brisk 30 minute walk and then met my sister at her and her husbands favorite breakfast haunt...McD's...at outside tables. We met them there because she made both of us two custom fit masks...according to her...they're CDC approved. She donates them to our hospital. We won't wear them unless we "need" to go into a place that they are mandatory which are few here in our city. Did have to wash them though...she's a smoker and they really stunk! I wonder how the hospital manages them? LOL But...they probably go to staff only...so they probably take them home and launder them too. We sat a table away from them, but she "lit one up" after she finished eating and I didn't think I was going to be able to get away politely . Then came home with stuffed up nose and headed for the Oregano oil. Guess cigarette smoke not only stink to me but I am now somewhat allergic to it!? Been stuffy off and on all day so been "sniffing" off and on all day! I quite asking her to quit a long time ago...her response was "I'll die from something". You'd think after she had that enormous back and neck surgery which put her in a hospital bed for 6 months she would have not gone back to them. Then when my brother was recently diagnosed with inoperable throat and lung cancer...she quit. But nope...still puffs away. Yes none of us are getting out of this world alive as we know it, but we don't have to go gagging, coughing, and pumped full of chemo or pain killer drugs. Just sayin'. Hubby worked for a customer for a couple of hours after we got home, and then went to the "Roost" to continue cutting, loading and dumping more tree limbs he had cut. The neighbor picked a gallon size baggie of her beautiful Blackberries and sent them home with us! Hubby wanted me to wash them...but I firmly said "NO!"...I always wash my produce and fruit when I get ready to eat it. It makes them mushy and often limp, plus being a place for mold or ??? if I don't get them used asap. Zipped up in a baggie is good...just how I do it around here. I did some laundry and got them hung out. Was wondering if they'd get dry (his work jeans especially) because of the high humidity and no wind, but around 2 the wind got quite breezy and the sun decided to shine...so all is well. Folded and put away! Also made more jello (I buy all mine from the Mennonite stores in bags and then put it in pint jars with a dessicant. Also put a can of peaches in the frig to get cold for supper....they wazzzz goooood! LOL Mixed up some Tums in a pint of hot water and let them dissolve, then poured it into a spray bottle to spray my tomatoes with. Found one day before yesterday with blossom end rot, but didn't spray them today because "it supposed" to rain around midnight.

A very long day but productive. Got up at 6am and brushed our teeth, washed up a bit and put on some walking clothes and shoes and off we went. Walked for a bit over 45 minutes and were quite "dewy" when we got home. Cooled down a bit, ate breakfast and then off to the homestead. Upstairs I moved some shelving units out of storage into the former kitchen area and unpacked 4 boxes and put things away. The extra shelving is awesome. I have the pie safe that holds my herbs and spices (vacuum sealed in jars) and then the former microwave cabinet from the downstairs kitchen that now holds all my essential oils, bottles, creams and other things I use for mixing my blends. Now I have smaller shelving units on each of these so I have a lot more room to put things away. I still have one more big box that I unloaded from the travel trailer (things we didn't use) that I need to find a space for....toaster, extra pans etc., but the floor area is now available for me to set up a table (or two) to set my dehydrators on should I want to do some dehydrating up there. So up the steps and down the steps, moving and carrying items...lots more exercise while hubby put corner moldings on the drywall edges. Then out to the garden. We pulled all the potatoes and ended up with about 40 pounds of 'taters. We figure we did good...since I only paid 3.99 for a bag of russets from Aldis and another half bag of reds that were a gift. The reds were so much bigger! Anyway...we put them in the garage on screens and I'll get to them in the next day or two so I can break out the pressure canner. I don't have a stove hooked up at the homestead so it's here I'll need to work...yuck! In this hot weather with only a window a/c it's not the most pleasant work...but necessary. Then watered my 'mater plant tub and then home for a short nap...then supper. I'll be grabbing my book to read shortly and off to bed I shall go. I've become acclimated to sleeping until 7 or so...and getting up with Abby at 6 will take some getting used to...but we want to walk every morning we can.

For sure...we ended up doing some "pillow talk" until nearly 2 am this morning we were so excited...and of making plans for today.

Saw where there was a "prepper store" going out of business a few miles away from us, so up we got and off we went. You people won't believe this, and I'm not posting pictures because everything's put away...but...we bought an 8 tray Excalibur dehydrator, a 20 pound package of cheese wax, a case of about 100 mylar bags (the size to put in a 5 gallon bucket), a case of 100cc oxygen absorbers (about 20 packages), a case of 500 ground cover staples, a "potato box" (wood and stackable), several bottles of fish meds (unopened), about 10 tubes of antibiotic ointment and several other odds and ends...for $72.00. Yep...quite a haul! Then came home and watered the garden tubs and then...cooled down for supper. Tomorrow we plan to rise and shine and start walking. All 3 of us need it. Doing it early before it gets too hot.

Lots of heat and humidity...but hubby persisted and got nearly all the weed eating done on all three properties. It was "supposed" to rain this afternoon so I didn't add water to the tubs...so tomorrow I'll add the water regardless. Guess I'll stop listening to these so called "weather forecasters"! They say no rain, it pours. They say rain, it's dry as a bone! Hubby's first day of eating just about everything he wants...except pretzels...he'll wait on those. Supper was Italian seasoned panko in some burger meat, and it was delicious and very crispy on the outside. I'm going to try some of it with the turkey burger we bought...really cheap! Also put my "new potatoes" in a pot, boiled them soft, then added some of my yellow crook neck squash with a can of green beans. Soooo good! Also some pork and beans even though we had green beans. Dessert was jello with mixed fruit. I've put on a few extra pounds from being pampered by our host when we went to stay at her place, so I'm cutting my lunch meal in half until I'm back where I belong. I've weighed the same for over 20 years and I don't intend to let it creep up on me now!

Couldn't resist...pulled one small potato plant...and got three new potatoes...out of one chip! They'll be tasty in green beans with onions and bacon. Hubby's tooth retraction went wonderfully and he's almost back to eating regularly. We've done soft foods for breakfasts (scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes w/gravy, pancakes, hard boiled eggs etc.) but today he "carefully" had a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch and supper was a pizza. His 48 hours was up at noon but we're not going to push that. Just taking things easy is better than a bad day of "following" generalized orders. He got all the mowing done on the properties...for the time being. With this HOT weather (90's) the grass has started slowing down...that is good

Hubby had a wisdom tooth break off so went to the dentist today and had it pulled. Our previous dentist retired so this is a new one and is of the "old school" and not afraid to do some dental work! Seems all the newbies always want to charge you up the yah yah, then "refer" you to somebody else. His prices were phenomenally LOW! Hubby has a Nov. appt. to have his cleaned...that's the earliest, so I'll call and get myself scheduled also. Hubby's a Dr. Pepper drinker and I'm a coffee drinker so we have to have ours cleaned by a pro. Went to the garden and filled the tubs through their tubes, and picked our very first yellow crook neck squash. That should also provoke the plant to produce even more, even though there's a lot more coming on. My canteloupe plant is making like crazy! I'll be dehydrating a lot of it! Hubby won't eat it fresh (I love it!) but he will eat it dehydrated. The tomato plants have lots of 'maters too. The Beets look stunted but I'm not going to pull them. The potato beds are beginning to die back so we'll be digging before too much longer? The Raspberry bushes are prolific but not one flower. This is their first year after hubby wacked them down so they may not make? Blackberries are giving us a few a day...the birds are getting a lot of them. There's only two runners so can't complain. We'll be doing a new bed for them later with lines for them to stay in place. Plans, plans, plans. Bathroom project at the homestead is back in progress...happy dance!

I won't be cutting mine again...I hate it since I cut it with layers. I don't like having to curl it every time it's washed and since it's mostly silver it doesn't seem to hold the curl anymore, and I end up trying to make a pony tail "again" ... but the layers need clips to stay put. Yuck...I'll be letting it grow out and all one length...again. Live and learn?

We spent most of the day cleaning out Miss B. We're taking a few days to go visit a friend and camp beside her house. Tried to turn on the Fantastic Fan and for some reason it wouldn't run...so hubby spent the rest of the afternoon trying to run down the problem. I watered the tubes a little even though I knew it was "supposed" to rain...and it did! Also found the Japanese Beetles are back so sprayed with Neem oil ... even though it was supposed to rain. I'll probably dust with Sevin tomorrow. Hate those dumb things! We're the only ones that have berry bushes that I know of in our whole area. Even found some on my potato beds and the Raspberry plants are just south of the potato beds, along the fence! First noticed them on my blooming Elderberry bush... If it weren't for them we'd be pretty much organic...even though I buy the organic Neem oil concentrate I still hate to have to do anything other than plant mint and lay comfrey leaves in the beds etc. Waiting for some laundry to finish so I can hang them out in the morning...it's NOT supposed to rain. Made our Mennonite haul a couple of days ago to replenish some of the foods we've eaten...plus just put back a bit more. Sausage crumbles, sausage patties, a ham, some breaded beef fritters, four bags of instant potatoes, 4 jars of Tartar sauce, a case of strawberry/kiwi 100% juice, two large tubs of strawberry yogurt (won't be making my own for a bit), more granola, two tubs of Echinacea herbs (I want to make my own tincture) as well as a small bottle of the Echinacea in liquid form. Some other odds and ends as well. Went to Aldis and again...left so frustrated! Went ahead and picked up paper towels and tp, some freezer bags, some paper plates and bowls and some okastuc forks. They're still limiting canned goods etc...trying to stop "hoarding". We won't go back unless we just absolutely have to! I'll pay the extra few cents and go to Sav-a-lot (which we did...and bought cases of the things Aldis would only let us buy 4 of!) or even the dreaded WM. The poor elderly man in front of us was "flagged" by the cashier and she said "I can't sell you that many sir"...and set everything of the limit to the side of her register! This was a very elderly man and obviously alone since most men don't go shopping by themselves unless they're single. I'm done with that store and their junk. There is a difference between hoarding and prepping. Hoarding is things you'll never use or don't need. Food doesn't qualify! Rant over.

Hubby finished up step mum's job and came home...just in time to run into a terrific storm. Only lasted a few minutes though. Here...Abby-girl went directly to her "hide" place. She's doing really very well since we realized that placing a thin mattress over some of her human daddy's shoes gives her the "safe" place that she seeks. Wonderful for all three of us! I had towels hanging on my lines when it started storming here, so had to make a dash to get them in my basket and back in the house. They're just damp so I'll take them to the homestead in the morning and dry them in the dryer. It's supposed to rain tomorrow so hanging them out will be a waste of time. Really got a blessing for the poison ivy on hubby's arms etc. Dr. Axe has an anti-itch potion for all types of skin problems, especially poison ivy, and it certainly works! I mixed some up this morning, put the paste on the spots and by the time he got home there was a MAJOR difference! I think he'll be over this stupid stuff very soon. He's been using all kinds of creams, sprays and even prescription stuff...and it helps...a little. But this is almost a miracle! I used 1 tsp. Baking Soda, 2 tps. Bentonite Clay, 1 Tblsp. Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 Tbsp.Witch Hazel, 10 drops Lavender Essential oil, 5 drops of Peppermint Essential oil, 2 drops of T-Tree Oil and I added some Aloe gel. Just be aware that when the Apple Cider Vinegar hits the Baking Soda it will fizz! LOL I did have to add a bit more Witch Hazel to thin the paste down a bit. If yours is too thin just add more Bentonite Clay.

Happy Anniversary Micki!