Necie

Chili last night. Had jars of beans and tomato juice in fridge that needed used. 2# venison burger 2 onions (garden) bell pepper (garden— I chop and freeze in gallon bags, then break off and use whatever amount looks right) 1 qt kidney and 1 pt black beans out of fridge that hadn’t sealed. 1/2 qt and 1 pt tomato juice out of fridge 3/4 pint spaghetti sauce 1/2 gallon tomatoes Only things *purchased*: salt and pepper granulated garlic comino ancho chili powder Very quick throw together and eat meal. Made a big pot full. Kids are coming down today, so they can take some home or I’ll probably can a few jars.

Yesterday was pan fried perch that I’ve been saving. We had one good bag from last fall when I got into a whole mess of them. Also jalapeño poppers.

Not really. I was in a *mood*. Kinda feeling sorry for myself. Yesterday is not my favorite day... anymore. So, I guess I punished myself by sitting and doing *nothing*. Although crocheting is work for flea market. I’m still much happier when I’m UP and MOVING doing something. Yesterday I finished crocheting my stack of towels. So I got another tote of towels out this morning and poked holes in them and stacked ready to crochet. Worked in the kitchen a bit. Then DH wanted to go to the bait store to get our fishing licenses for this year. When we got in the truck, I had a big ole grin on my face... he said “What?? This doesn’t mean we’re going fishing yet.” I said “No... I get to RIDE!!” He said “You’re always running around going for a ride.” Me: “NOOOO.... I always have to DRIVE!! I get to RIDE and not watch the road and get to look around at the scenery and all that $hit!!”. Fishing licenses went from $17 to $23, but he got a senior lifetime this year for the same amount. He also got a bobber and I got 2 bobbers and a package of hooks. Probably work more in the kitchen tomorrow. Kids are coming down Saturday. and Necie

Ummm... Jeepers?? I don’t think we can be friends. JUST KIDDING!!! We all have fears. But, sheesh, I LOVE FISH. And FISHING!!! And I feel so bad about all the fish pictures I posted!! I probably gave you the heeby-jeebies! When DH and I start fishing, I will start a whole separate post for it— “Fishing 2024”. That way you don’t have to look at the things if you don’t want to. My biggest fear is falling. I used to think it was heights. But I figured out that as long as I feel secure, actual heights don’t bother me. I can be nervous about falling on flat ground. And some of those high mountain edge pictures that people post on FB make me scroll by them really fast. Do pics of cooked fish bother you? Cuz, just a warning... I’m gonna go post one in “What’s Cooking?” in The Kitchen.

I do the sauerkraut in the jar. The recipe is in an old preserving book my mom gave me— Farm and Home Journal or something like that. I found another one at an estate sale and gave it to DDIL this last year for our dill pickle and bread and butter pickles recipes. We don’t eat a lot of sauerkraut, but when I make it, I make a bunch. It lasts for years. When I need to make more, I just grow twice as much cabbage as I usually do.

Crocheted today. That was about it.

It’s no big deal. I have to empty jars of milk to make soap/lotion... so I’ll just open the Kerr ones first. You mentioned pressure cooking meats/beans before canning... ?? Just wondering why- as canning does pressure cook them (unless you waterbath). I always do mine raw pack. Beans are my favorite thing to can. Scoop the beans in the jar, fill with cold water, slap lids/rings on, put in cold canner. So easy-peasy.

Didn’t do much today. Slept in again... weird. Crocheted this morning. Cut soap. Made a list of soaps that are getting low in inventory on the porch and printed/cut labels so I can wrap more. Then if, after I wrap them, my inventory of unwrapped is low I’ll put them on my *to make* list. Crocheted some more this evening. I don’t think I’m gonna do much soap/lotion til next week. It’s supposed to be cold the rest of the week and there’s no heat in the basement or upstairs. Maybe I’ll get some stuff done in the kitchen that’s still a disaster. and Necie

I’ve found one dozen Kerr so far!! 3 were in my empty jar boxes, 9 were still full— of goat milk!! I got 4 of those emptied. Will keep working on it.

Venison backstrap and hen of the woods mushrooms in french onion gravy on mashed potatoes. Backstrap harvested by DS2. Mushrooms harvested and canned by me. Homemade french onion soup with garden onions and home canned beef broth. Mashed potatoes from home canned potatoes. (DH makes them... my mashed potatoes from canned end up being like glue. His are perfect! )

Not quite as busy today. Crocheted this morning. Cut/stacked soap. Made soap— a batch each of Autumn Lodge and Cappuccino. Finally got to do a full batch of lotion— Patchouli. Much easier doing one scent, rather than *by the bottle*. Made supper early, then sat on my butt and crocheted some more. Kids are coming down Saturday. DSIL requested a banana cheesecake thingy for dessert. Told him I have everything for it except the fresh bananas... he said he’d bring them. 😂 Probably shouldn’t make it for him— he’s type 1 diabetic, but I guess it’s better than cake or cookies... that he won’t lay off either. Cutting and wrapping soap, and making more lotion tomorrow. and Necie

This last week I canned: 42 pints of beans— black, navy, garbanzo and small reds. 15 pints of chicken gizzards.

Ours is $3.69 right now. DH filled up my van the other day... $48. I have no idea what’s going on with pricing lately... it’ll jump .30-.50c and then slowly go back down over a couple weeks and then jump back up again. Crazy!! @Littlesister, glad you are feeling better. There’s some kind of stomach bug going around here. The kids were supposed to come over Saturday for dinner, but DS2, DDIL and all 3 kids were sick, so we postponed til this next Saturday. Mom was going to have Sunday dinner today (corned beef and cabbage), but DSIS4 is sick and DSIS6 has sick kids/grandkids and she’s *sniffling*, so she canceled. Another niece and her DH and 2 boys didn’t get the message though and showed up. Mom said it was a good visit and nice to be able to be more *one on one*. Give your DGS an extra “Grandma hug”. It’s so hard for kids to watch their grandparents slip away... especially mentally. I remember my Great Grandma being so confused. I went to visit her with my 2 boys when they were little (before DD was born) and she thought I was my mom... but couldn’t figure out whose boys I had (my mom had 4 girls). After that I went by myself and she always thought I was my mom... but was disappointed that I didn’t bring *the girls*.

I. Am. POOPED!!! I actually slept in this morning. Didn’t wake up til 8:45... BUT... That’s cuz I was woken up just after 5 by this *WOOP-WOOP-WOOP*. As soon as I opened my eyes, I see red/blue flashing lights reflecting off the bedroom door (shining through the living room window by the driveway). Sat my butt straight up in bed!!! First thought: “HOLY CRAP!-IS THE HOUSE ON FIRE???” Jumped out of bed and out to living room... Those lights reflecting were so bright that I’d thought they were in the driveway outside the window, but it was just a cop had someone pulled over. The way he was parked though, headlights and flashing lights shining right straight in the window. So I lowered the blinds and closed them... but obviously not enough, cuz when I got back in bed I could still see the d@mn things! I finally fell back to sleep, but DH stayed up. He said they were out there over an hour... waiting for the tow truck. Someone must’ve either been drunk or had a warrant. Crocheted this morning. At noon I went upstairs and stacked soap. Then to the basement and cut soap. Back upstairs to stack that soap. Back to basement and made more soap. Then I did soap/lotion inventory... Counted inventory for flea market and farmer’s market. Took farmer’s market inventory to van. Counted wrapped/labeled inventory on porch... added that. Counted unlabeled lotions in basement... added that. Counted unwrapped soaps upstairs... added that. I have over 100 different soaps (some are temporary *limited edition*) and over 50 different lotions. Each one gets their own count. Unwrapped soaps upstairs alone, I have 21 boxes that hold 120 bars each (I consolidated as I counted— emptied 8 boxes). I got done at 8:00, called Mom, made me a peanut butter sandwich. I. Am. POOPED!! Oh... and did I mention... I HATE STAIRS!!! Back at it tomorrow... gotta cut soap and make another batch. When I cut that batch, my shelves will be full until Friday... so can make another batch on Thursday. Might fit making a batch or 2 of lotion in between. I might just be ready for markets before they start. 😃 and Necie

@Mt_Rider, WOW!! I do not miss winter chores!! The worst winter we had was 2013/14. It started snowing in December and didn’t quit. My BIL drives county plow truck— it would snow Thursday/Friday and he’d have to work every weekend. We ended up with one side of the driveway plowed shut cuz there wasn’t anywhere left to push it. And FRIGID! It didn’t melt off. I always moved the bucks from their summer pen out back to a winter pen up front so it was easier to feed/water them. That year, I ended up moving them into the barn to the big kid pen thinking I could move them back out before kids needed it. NOPE!! By the end of March I had 50+ goats and 2 big dogs in 5 pens in my little barn. 😳 That’s the year that all the does learned to turn around ON the stand before jumping back off. I had a doe that kidded on March 14 and lost her the next day to a ruptured uterus (inside out kid— schistosoma reflexus). We couldn’t get her out back, let alone get her buried, so we pulled her into the bucks winter pen (that they weren’t in) and buried her in snow until it melted enough to get her out back. I do miss the goats... but not the snow and cold, and the MUD in the spring.

Busy day. Crocheted this morning. Made a batch of soap. Made a batch of lotion... then another... then another. Yup- 3 batches. I don’t think I’ve ever made 3 batches in one day. Definitely not with also making soap. I got all the *individual bottles* made. Now I just have to make full batches of my best sellers... still have to make that list. Maybe tomorrow. And also still need to get upstairs and work on soap. and Necie

I’ll go through my jars sometime and see if I have large mouth Kerr. If I do, I’ll trade you for Ball jars if you get to the flea market this summer. I don’t have a preference.

Crocheted this morning. Went with Mom this afternoon to get her MRI. Stopped at a little meat market that I like and got chicken gizzards. Spent $28. Canned them tonight— 15 pts. Tossed in 4 pts of black beans to fill the canner. Still need to deal with soap upstairs. 🥴

Hope his test is clear. Glad he doesn’t need surgery. You make me laugh.

DH drove grain truck for years between Chicago, Toledo/Detroit before Indiana started doing time change. Being based in Indiana he had to keep track of which state was on which time. During standard time (winter), OH/MI was the same as Indiana and Illinois was an hour behind. During daylight savings (summer), IL was on the same time and OH/MI were an hour ahead. Used to drive him nuts when he’d get somewhere and they weren’t open yet... or (God forbid!!) already closed.

South and east of me. for those that were in the path. Just strong winds and heavy rain here.

Cut soap. Didn’t get it upstairs to stack. No wrapping/boxing. Will do that stuff tomorrow. Made 2 batches of lotion. Wish I could figure out a way to do a double batch. Two problems... 1- finding the right size pan to not drown my electric whisk, and 2- it would cool down and thicken before I could get it all bottled. Canned garbanzo, navy, black and small red beans. 38 pints

They’ve been *trying* for years. They keep putting off voting on it. It’s also up for staying on DST. So... do those on Standard time that don’t change, then have to change? Or stay on Standard and still be different? 🤷‍♀️

4 hrs= Daylight Savings 3 hrs= Standard

Our weather this winter has been soooo... abnormal. Above normal. November and December were... nothing. Unimpressive. Chilly, but no major events. January, we had the one big storm that needed dealing with. Ice— topped with snow. Polar vortex, bomb cyclone. That’s when I was stuck at Mom’s for 11 days. When the LP fill truck driver says the roads are horrible... the roads are horrible. February... above normal. WAY above normal. 50’s and a few 60’s. 😳 That’s 20-30* above normal. I think we had 3 or 4 days at or below normal. March— all above normal so far. 60s and a few 70s... again, 20-30* above normal. This next week we’re supposed to get some normal temps... highs in the 40s for a couple days. Then back up to 50s. If it were to keep up like this... all fine. But our last frost date is mid-May. Flowers are up, trees are budded out (leaves). If they start putting out flower buds and frost/freeze, then there’s fruiting problems. 🥴 I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop... we’ve had major snow storms in March... and even April. They just tend to melt off faster.