Necie

Did NOT get the venison finished today. I forgot how much time is consumed playing with a spoiled dog. She’ll be 2 in May, so still very much a pup. I got 4- 1/2 gallons of venison broth canned and got the burger mixed (doing jalapeño/onion/garlic... makes awesome burgers and tacos) and the salami mixed for snack sticks. Hopefully tomorrow will get the rest of the broth canned, the burger bagged, and the sticks made and into the oven. Mom did go home tonight instead of staying at my sister’s closer to the hospital. Dad is still not doing well. He tested positive today for Covid. He’s got a nasty cough with yellow gunk and Mom said he woke up once today and said he had a horrible headache and was freezing. This could also explain his sudden excessive weakness. ?? They’re still doing tons of tests. The c-scan showed something on his brain and they want to do an MRI, but dad has a brain shunt that is controlled magnetically and can’t have one. I guess *they* wanted to argue with mom about it and she told them to argue with the surgeon that put it in! They’ve put an adult diaper on him since he’s immobile, but won’t even use a bedpan when he knows when he has to go. Say they’ll just clean him up... but he won’t *go* in the diaper. He’s not happy and doesn’t want to be there— that’s actually good. His dementia evaluation showed that he’s progressed considerably and they’re talking about going to rehab to gain strength once he’s well enough. Basically, everything is up in the air.

Jar prices just blow my mind!! I remember when I was a young mom (1980s-90s), I wouldn’t pay more than $1/doz at yard sales... and could find them all the time!! Now, even at yard sales (and on marketplace), they want $1 EACH!! That’s nearly full store price, and WITHOUT new lids/rings. Now, if I can find half gallons at that price, then YEAH!! They’re $19.99 a half dozen at the stores... over $3 each. I have bought 2 cases at that price. One at Walmart, one at a local hardware. I found them a couple weeks ago at an Amish store for $16.49 and bought 2 cases (dozen total). I don’t usually ever buy jars... twice this summer I posted on local groups (FB) looking for jars... would trade for my goat milk soap. Both times most responses were to just come and get them. I still gave them equal amounts of soap and ended up with a van full each time. And sometimes they’d throw in canning equipment. 😊 I will buy at yard sales for the right jars at the right price. DS1 and I stopped at an estate sale yesterday and I got one box of quarts (some large mouth—all older) for $5, and a garden basket of large mouth pints for $5. Came out to about 0.25c a jar and a free garden basket. 😁 I have plenty of jars, but the problem is that a lot of them are full... of goat milk... for soaping. Almost 600 qts worth (some also in 1/2 gallons and in pints). I got a heck of a deal this last winter on Meyenberg (~0.12c/qt) and spent 9 days from 9am to 2-3am canning it all.

I don’t think that’s exactly right. 80/90 is an interstate highway. I believe there are tolls only through Indiana and Ohio...?? As far as other interstates... (I69 in my area) each state that it runs through maintains it... with federal monies?? I believe if a state wanted to put a toll on it, it could be done. My BIL works for the county... they maintain county roads. The state maintains state roads (and interstates). Cities have their own crews.

Change of plans today. 🥴 Mom told me last night that she wasn’t comfortable leaving Dad to go shopping, so this morning I headed up there to get DS1 and take him to get his Christmas shopping done. On the way, Mom called and said they had called for the ambulance to take Dad to the hospital. He was pretty much immobile. Three of them tried to help him to the bathroom and he was no help... dead weight. They have him in the ER doing tests (no other rooms available 😳). When I got to the house, they had him in the ambulance, but hadn’t left. Mom was a wreck that her poor spoiled doggie was gonna have to stay in her crate for a couple hours... this pampered pooch has NEVER been left alone. I told her we’d only be gone a couple hours and when we got back, that I’d take her home with me. So, I’m babysitting the most spoiled little mutt in the world until further notice. 😁 Will continue with the venison tomorrow. Oh... and when DS1 and I were at Walmart, the guy in the sporting goods section said the store wasn’t taking any cash. Something was screwed up with getting their drawers at the registers, but they were working on it. I told DS1 that it was a good thing that he was using his debit card and also a good thing that I didn’t need anything cuz I only use cash. When we got up to the regular register, the gal said that they couldn’t take cash, but the self-checkouts could. 🤷‍♀️ Pic of said spoiled rotten, pampered little mutt currently curled up in my lap. 🙄

Yesterday I spent 6 hrs cutting the venison off the bones and separated the meat for canning or grinding. Started a big pot (20 qt, I think) of broth with some of the bones. Took those bones out this morning and put more in. I’ll use the meat off them for soup. Chopped and canned 24# (9 quarts and 6 pints), chopped and ground 30#, 24# will be used for burger (will make 27#) and 6# for more salami snack sticks (will make 9#)—the kids loved them!! Tomorrow my mom is coming down and we’re going shopping for a couple hours. Then when I get home, I’ll mix the burger and salami. DH will help bag up the burger. The salami will wait until I get the kitchenaid grinder/stuffer that I ordered. 😉 Should be here Friday. and Necie

Oh... and I canned venison today—9 quarts and 6 pints. 😁

Nesco and Carey have electric pressure canners. IIRC, they hold 4 qts. I see a lot of people using them that are *afraid* of regular pressure canners. They are also the “set and forget” types.

The toll road in Indiana (80/90) is foreign owned thanks to Mitch Daniels (FORMER governor). The only responsibility they have is the upkeep of THAT freeway. The rest is foreign profit. I refuse to use it. US 20 is kept up well... although full of semis, who also refuse to use Indiana 80/90.

Ran up to DS2’s yesterday evening to pick up the deer. He and DGD(12) had it almost skinned, so all we had to do was quarter it up. DGD loaded it in my van and I was off! It was COLD out. I dropped her off in town to go to the basketball game (jr high) and the little stinker got me for $20. 😂 She did say that she’d work it off. 🥰 Despite being a 9 point, the buck wasn’t real big. Probably a 2 yr old. We’ll see what I get off him. So, today and tomorrow, I’m canning and grinding.

Nah. It all gets split 4 ways. I feel behind. We normally do 8-10 deer a year. So far, only 3 (plus DGD(12)’s youth hunt doe). Only 3 wks to go, but DS2 has got his bucks, so he’ll start popping does. Might get 2 or 3 in one day. So far we’ve each got 5 qts canned, 7# burger, and 10# salami sticks and sausage. Haven’t started on soups yet. The rest will mostly get done in burger and canned.

Christmas at my mom’s (grandma/great-grandma) was a success. Missing a few people. DS2/DDIL and kids didn’t come—DGD(4) woke up with a stuffy/runny nose and cough. Not being sure if it’s a cold or just sinus/allergy due to our stupid crazy weather change (62* Saturday to 35* yesterday), they weren’t chancing it with my dad’s health. Same with one of my nieces, one kid with a cold and one with a UTI. None of my *steps* were there for various reasons. 🙄😡 It hurts Dad. On the way home, stopped at DS2’s to skin/quarter deer that he got Saturday morning (buck-9pt), but he didn’t feel like it. So may run up there later today. Goofy kid!- he’s so fickle. Wasn’t gonna take anymore bucks—just does. But he said that this one was with a group of does and trying to push them into the woods. Ticked him off—so BOOM. 😂 He does the same with does that stomp and snort— squealer tattle-tales. Too smart for their own good—BOOM! So, I pretty much have the day *off*. Not sure what I’ll do. Sit here and crochet (which, I guess, is work 🙄) until I decide to do something else. 😂 and Necie

No... they won’t. My mom is the only one that knows I did it. I had to let her in on it in order to sneak them in. Nobody else will know where they came from.

They are goofy!! One niece told her mom (my sis) that she only wants handmade gifts for her kids for Christmas. I guess they are doing the *minimalist* thing. My sis isn’t *crafty*. On our message board, a nephew said “Our kids have enough toys.” Only one niece, who has 4 kids, is tight on money. I remember that. But for Christmas exchange we set a $10 limit. I’d find things between $5-10. I could find $20ish (3 kids) so all kids could have a little something to open at our big family Christmas. IMO, they just don’t seem to be thinking how the kids will feel not getting a present... when it’s a tradition that has always been done... for over 50 yrs. I guess I’m lucky to live real close to Amish county. I can get any kind of flour that I need. I love to bake. I find AP, WW, and baker’s $20/50#. Specialty flours, I buy 5-10# at a time, usually about $1/#. It’s funny... the notions people have about the Amish. They do bake bread— to sell for ~$5 a loaf. 😉 But if you watch their carts in the store... a lot of junk food. I saw one once that had a $50 bag of flour in the bottom of her cart, and 4-5 regular loaves in the top. They bake bread to sell, but serve their own family cheap store bought. 😂

Not even sure where I left off... Finished the venison sausage. Cheated on the last batch, but it worked. And only took 3 hrs instead of 28. 🙄 Thursday went Christmas shopping. Got a start on it. Figure I have two more trips to do— one with DD and one with my mom. Yesterday I wrapped 20+ little gifts for Christmas at mom and dad’s tomorrow. My nieces and nephews, in all their 30-something wisdom, decided not to do a gift exchange for the littles (4 mo-16 yrs) this year. 😳 I’m pretty sure the children weren’t consulted. Wellllll... Aunt Necie isn’t putting up with THAT!! 😉 Dollar Tree to the rescue and at least they get to tear Christmas paper off something! Rearranged some furniture and got the tree put up. Kids are coming down today to decorate it and make rock candy and cookies. and Necie

Still working on the salami/sausage. Up half the night. Still tired. Won’t do this big of a batch again. And will do things a bit different. Was hoping to go shopping tomorrow, but may have to wait till Friday.

Sunday, DH made pancakes. Yesterday, I made french toast Tonight we had venison tacos. Plenty left over for the next couple of days.

Got venison all mixed. 10# jalapeño/cheddar brats 10# cheddar/onion brats 10# plain brats All have garlic. DH (D isn’t always for Dear ) is being *picky* about garlic. He fussed that there was too much in my canned venison... it’s the SAME as I’ve ALWAYS done! He can either deal with it or cook for himself! Also got 5# of salami mixed to make snack sticks. Tomorrow am stuffing it in casings and *cooking* it.

I got 26# ground off the doe. Gonna do a 30# batch of brats and a 10# batch of salami snack sticks... if this thing works good. I could split the batches up and do different kinds... jalapeño, cheese, garlic, onion, etc... ??? Now I got more to think about. 🙄 Mixing tomorrow. I got the stuffer off marketplace. $50. Just picked it up yesterday. I looked online and could get the cheaper off-brand ones for ~$60, but the cheapest Porkert I found was $120. I was hoping to fit the tubes to my grinder with a large washer... but that’ll have to wait. 🥴

Tuesday made venison and noodles. Yesterday we polished off the leftovers. Tonight DH made venison burgers. Tomorrow, I think I’ll get the leftover sloppy joes out of the freezer to use up some of the leftover buns from tonight.

Went to pick up DS1 this morning and thought I’d stop by the Amish store near DS2’s house. It’s on the way. Found maple sausage 3#/$5. Got 12 of them to use making brats. DS1 and I went to another Amish store near him— highlights... I found 1/2 gallon jars $16/case- bought 2, gallon coconut oil $7.50 each- bought all 6 they had for soaping, 3# rolls of regular breakfast sausage $4.50 each- bought 4 for venison burger. Then we stopped at a small meat market. I got 2# frozen raw shrimp $6 each. Got back to mom and dad’s and the home health care aid was there today. Dad had an *episode*— stood up from his chair and passed out. The aid was right there and *caught* him... help him up between her and the chair til he came out of it. First time she’s seen him do it, she said now she understands what we’re talking about. They’ve upped mom’s help. The aid is coming 3x a week instead of two (5 hrs/day). They have a nurse coming in once a week, and an occupational(?) therapist... I’m not sure how often (these are new). AND they’ve approved dad for transport!! This is great for mom and DS1– no more having to load him in and out of the truck for appointments. Went to DS2’s and we skinned and quartered the doe. Not nearly as big as the buck. I took the hind and front legs, backstraps, and cut some meat off the neck and hip area. He kept the spine and ribs to feed his chickens. Told him to get busy... he owes me 3 more does for that buck, and if he gets the other buck he wants, then another 5 does on top of that. Got home, unloaded everything, DH made venison burgers for dinner, and now I’m sitting on my butt being lazy. and Necie

Got the venison burger mixed and bagged. 27#. DH ran up to DG and overpaid for a lb of sausage ($5.25) so I could get it all done. 🙄 I’ll find it cheaper tomorrow and stock up. Might even have some in the freezer, but I don’t feel like digging for it... especially not being sure that it’s even there. DH is still going berserk looking for bullets for reloading. I think he found some-2nds. He was grumbling about it all day. That and the cost of shipping. 😞

Got the venison ground up and weighed out into *batches*. 24#=3 batches. Am short 1# of sausage/bacon so it’ll have to wait til Friday or Saturday. Mixing and bagging up the other 2 batches today. Tomorrow am going to pick up DS1 and go do something... maybe find some cheap sausage/bacon?? Might walk through the cabin to check it out and figure out what I wanna do first in the spring. On the way home, will stop at DS2’s and pick up the doe he has hanging. Hopefully, he’ll get another one soon.

@Jeepers, it was late and I couldn’t sleep. Got up and this thread had been commented on new. Humor Me forum... talking about tp, bidets, clothes, etc... And you said BUTT instead of BUT. Hit my funny bone!

I haven’t even started. Buying gifts or decorating. Although, the only decorating that I do is to put up the tree. I do put lights and garland on it, but the box of ornaments sit there til the kids come down on Christmas Eve and they put them on. Christmas isn’t my favorite time of year.