Mother

We can’t legally get raw milk for human consumption in Illinois. When you do get it, it has to be direct from the farm in your own containers. We have a friend who had an organic jersey herd and got raw milk from him for years. It was $5 a gallon at that time and was about an hour’s drive there and back to get it. It’s $10 a gallon now and he only milks one cow and has only enough for close neighbors. We do have Amish in the area and are able to get beautiful deep yellow natural raw butter from them and we buy it ten pounds at a time at $5 a pound. Well worth it. If I were up to milking again, I’m not, I would have a couple Nigerian Dwarf milk goats. They are the jerseys of the goat world and give a good amount of rich but pure white cream. Big sigh, I sure miss raw milk.

There was no raw milk thread started here though the controversy concerning it has been ongoing for years. I bring it up now because of the latest info (true or not) about a connection between it and the bird flu. This link is to an article by Sally Fallon Morell, the author of Nourishing Traditions and major component and advocates of Raw Milk. Thanks to Out Of The Ordinary for finding it! https://nourishingtraditions.com/raw-milk-at-the-crossroads-again/

👍 My philosophy exactly.

Yes, you definitely are! And your house must be special too ‘cause it seemed like the perfect place to nest to those woodpeckers. We always used to joke here that I must have an X on my house because injured wildlife always seemed to find their way to me. I bet your house has a welcome sign for woodpeckers.

Woodpeckers can indeed be destructive but can also tell you something about the wood they are pecking at. If there is one hole they are working on especially if the wood is rotting or soft they probably think the area would be a good place to nest. If you find a line of small holes or an area riddled with small holes they are probably finding insects to eat. It could be termites but it could also be just ants or other insects. If it is insects you might consider spraying the wood to kill the insects. To discourage them you could try hanging bright shiny moving things in the area. Things like pinwheels, Mylar helium filled balloons, wind socks, wind chimes, or strips of aluminum foil. . You can also try owl or hawk silhouettes placed under eves or overhangs. You do have to move them often as woodpeckers are smart and soon figure there is no threat. Another idea is to record their own or other woodpecker’s calls and play them near where the birds are attracted. Periodic loud noises works but the neighbors might object. If woodpeckers (or other birds) are pecking at your window glass they are probably seeing their own reflection and are trying to fight with it. They are very territorial. Sometimes just putting something inside the windows to block the reflection stops that. Or using a cut out of an owl or hawk there. You can also use two dark round circles on those windows to resemble eyes. Line men and tree workers often paint eyes on the back of their hard hats to discourage birds from attacking them. Bird dislike eyes staring at them as it’s a threat. Always pay attention to what the animal or bird has to tell you.

Not a lot of info known yet. ABC seems to have reported it first in a breaking news report but a couple others are picking up on it now. One report out of Iran says there were noises heard but it was some drones they shot down.??? Something to watch.

You could use some of that firewood in the bottoms of those raised beds to act as a sort of hugelkultur system and to help fill up the beds to utilize less soil. Works well

Thank you for this info. It’s too early here for planting yet but I always grow nasturtiums. I can’t wait to try these recipes. I bookmarked it and will be checking out other nasturtiums recipes.

My rule of thumb for canning things like soup or mixed foods was to can for the item with the longest time. In your case meat. I have CRS too…..but I finally have old age to blame it on!

Becca Anne, I have AFIB and other heart rhythm abnormalities and have a pacemaker (which will probably need replacing in a year or so). It really does give one peace of mind knowing those devices are able to help. Jeepers, if the olive oil doesn’t help, try mayonnaise. I’ve had a month long monitor several times and that always works for me afterwards.

I was concerned about this as well with my great grands but it seems to be working for all of them. Check out this link or some of the other info on Baby Led Weaning. https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/first-foods-for-baby/

Be sure to check with your GD first. Some mothers don’t want their babies to have canned foods, believing fresh is best. Most of our grands fed their babies fresh. Several of them started with Avocado.

Not far from DGD in Colonial Beach.

Becca! Have a very happy birthday.

Happy Birthday, Spider. Have a super day!

Easter meal for us was Wild Turkey, cooked fresh green beans, cooked fresh broccoli and cauliflower, potato salad, deviled eggs, and sweet potatoes. Desert was bananas and blackberries with real cream and honey drizzled on top. Sounds like a lot of work for just the two of us but it wasn’t. The green beans and broccoli and cauliflower were from Basket and Bushel, a favorite company of precut pre washed veggies. Not as good or as cheap as home grown fresh from the garden but almost. They come in packages that cook them to perfection in three minutes in the microwave. A bit pricey but at the sale price of $2.50 a 12 ounce bag with no work involved they were not much more than the fresh veggies I could buy this time of year. Both types of potatoes were also done in the microwave, the Turkey was frozen and reheated leftovers from the wild Turkey we’d cooked months before and the potato salad was made from fresh boiled eggs, hot potatoes, bacon that I’d cooked and frozen a few weeks ago, cut up onion and pickles, and Mayo. Deviled eggs were thrown together at the same time I made the salad, and the fruit was big huge blackberries, also Basket and a Bushel brand, just dumped in a bowl with sliced bananas and the cream topping. All told DH and I might have spent a half hour on the meal. And the left overs went into four divided containers for meals later in the week. There is nothing more satisfying than being able to bring a holiday meal together in minutes without going to a store. (Okay, I admit, the fresh stuff was delivered to our door. ) Hope you all had a pleasant Easter!

Hey,The CG! Haven’t seen you in a while. I hope you are having a great day.

Happy birthday, Wormie. You really are thought of often.

Those ‘undies’ were considered healthy at the time. The Victorians considered the fresh air was good for the nether parts. Besides they were extremely convenient for women who wore long dresses and hooped skirts or lived in times of necessity like prairie travels. They were extremely convenient on the trail when no trees were available. The ‘can can’ however, took full advantage of the open crotch ‘pantaloons’ to add a little ‘spice’ to dancing!

I hope your day is a super one!

That IS good to know. I have a couple of old bottles.

My Sis-in-law gave me a half gallon fermenter jar and DH and I love it. It is just the right size for just the two of us. We cut or dice the cabbage into a large bowl, mix in two tablespoons salt per medium to large head and pound it until the brine forms. We pack it into the jar so the brine comes up above the cabbage, leaving a good two inches of head space. We use the divided weights that came with the jar to hold the cabbage under the brine and put on the lid with the fermenter airlock in place and set it away (on a plate just in case.). It’s ready in seven days, more or less, depending on your taste. We store ours in the refrigerator because we like it fresh and because it is so easy to make. I do pickles in it as well. I also have fermenter nipples that fit on canning jars. They work too but I like the air lock better. I think the nipples would be good for making wine but haven’t tried them for that.

Amen 🙏