Necie

Went home for a couple hours yesterday. Got bills paid till the end of the month. Grabbed a tote of soap/lotions cuz the one in my van was getting low. Unloaded a bunch of stuff from van and loaded up a bunch of other stuff. 
I’ve got a bunch of crochet stuff to do at Mom’s, but needed more yarn. Also grabbed my big, oversized tote bag of garden seeds to sort and figure out what we’re planting and what seeds I need to buy this year. 

I saw a cooking segment that our local news does at noon yesterday. He said he was taking advantage of the over abundance and low cost of root vegetables right now... 

I haven’t been to a regular grocery in well over a month. But thought I’d give a heads up to check it out when you do go. Might be a good time to do some canning/freezing. 😉

I’ve always tried for full sun. But one year they had shade for part of the day (big tree on east side of patch) and they did fine. Not sure about full shade...

We grow tons of potatoes. A couple of things to remember... 

Don’t plant too close. You’ll end up with golf balls. (DS2 & DDIL learned this last year... and I let them!! ) I’ve never done containers, but in a 5 gallon bucket, I’d plant ONE seed potato.

LOTS of water and GOOD drainage. It takes a lot of water to grow them, but if they are constantly wet, then you’ll get rot and/or fungal problems. 
Keep on top of potato bugs... easier to prevent than cure. 😉 And rotate your potato patch every year to a different location (clean soil). 
 

We grow primarily Pontiac Reds (in Michigan), with some other varieties just for fun. Have never grown russets. 

Beautiful day today. 60*, sun is out, a bit windy. Got woke up last night by lightning, BIG thunder boomers and pouring rain. UNBELIEVABLE!! Thunder storm in February... and at night at that!!

I’m not home right now, but a couple off the top of my head that I use quite a bit:

ancho powder 

herbs de provence 

I also use a garlic infused smoked sea salt that is AWESOME, though a bit pricey. I use it sparingly... an itty bit goes a looooong way.

Log out?  I never log out (phone). 

Beans in canner... still have 50 minutes.

Got soap upstairs. I’m beginning to hate stairs. Hurts my knees and I can only do one step at a time.  It even prompted me to snoop on Zillow to see what’s available in the area. One that could be possible... except we’re not moving.  I love my house... except for stairs. 
While upstairs, I did an inventory to see exactly how many batches of soap that I HAVE to make before market starts in May— 10... could be 11, but one can probably wait as it’s a slower seller. I usually do all I need by the end of March and then make lotions in April. But this year might be a *make as needed* year with everything going on with Dad. Then I went out on the front porch and straightened up my totes of wrapped soap that was a mess after the kids/grandkids rummaged through them at Christmas. Everyone gets their own little gift bag to fill with whatever they want. 
Back to doing *something*... 

I’ve got to get SOMETHING done today. 🤪 At 1:00 I’m getting off my lazy butt and getting busy. 
Still gotta take soap upstairs to stack. Only got one batch made instead of the 3 I’d hoped for. 😞 Gonna do one canner (7 qts) of beans (3 black, 4 kidney). Bluegill for dinner. 

Made a batch of soap yesterday. Cut it today. Didn’t get another batch made today, so will hopefully get it done tomorrow. Will only get 2 batches done instead of the 3 I was hoping to do. Woke up in a pi$$y mood— snow on the ground again. 😡 Probably only an inch, but... 

Did get some onions chopped and put in the freezer. Four were starting to grow and 2 in the fridge that needed used or put up. Got a quart of chopped and 1/2 a snack bag of tops/greens. 
 

1 hour ago, euphrasyne said:

I prep for economic hardships as much as anything else. 

This is what I do also. Yearly though. My income comes in the summer. Of course, I do put back money for the winter, but it is minimal. I stock food and supplies during the summer and use during the winter. That’s why I’m finding this challenge *challenging* at this time of year. With just me and DH, I don’t even spend $40/week on groceries. Maybe in the summer I could keep track of how much I spend on what we actually eat... occasionally. But I’m not sure I could even make sense of it for a month. And summer is so busy, I really don’t need one more thing to keep track of. 😉😂

Home again. Leaving was hard. I told Dad I was going to go home for a few days... he said “You can’t.” 😢 I told him just for a couple days and I’d be back on Wednesday and explained to him everyone that was going to be there in between. 
Plan for the weekend... make soap, and more soap, and MORE soap. 😃 Hoping to get 3 batches done— 150 bars of Oatmeal Milk & Honey and 75 bars of Coconut Lime. 
Need to dig a few things out of the freezers to use up. Cleaning out the chest freezer has kinda gone by the wayside due to being gone so much.  Mom informed me the other day that I’d been there a total of 24 days since December 20th when Dad came home from the hospital. She keeps schedules, lists, charts, etc for everything. 
Hope everyone has a super wonderful weekend. 🥰

Damp, nasty weather for the last few days... and now it’s pouring. My sinuses are NOT happy!! Flooding possible with the snow melting and ground still frozen. 
Got mom out of the house for the first time in over a month. I think it helped, even though we were only gone less than 2 hrs. Went and got some groceries, then stopped at one of her friends and Mom took her some old crochet books that she’d found for her. Of course, mom wouldn’t take any money for them, so her friend traded for some very pretty old handkerchiefs. I think they had a good, though short, visit. (I sat in the van and smoked. 😜😂)

DS1 and I are getting the heater, propane tank and line out of the cabin tomorrow so I can take it home for DH to figure out why it won’t light. Also need to take pics of the electrical to show him. I think we’re gonna keep the gas generator at home and I’m going to get a portable battery one for the cabin. One that can be recharged with a battery charger/electric/solar. 😉 Also need to put out mouse bait. We’ve been seeing a lot of fox this week... new thing, so hopefully they’re keeping the mouse population down too. 🙃

At mom and dad’s. Got here Monday morning before the freezing rain. Didn’t go anywhere yesterday for mom’s birthday as the roads were pretty slick. Mist to heavy drizzle yesterday and today, and more tomorrow. Roads were black ice this morning... mom’s HHA said she did a 180 in her car on the way here. 
Went to DGS(6) flag football game tonight. HILARIOUS!! 😂 Foggy on the way home. They have heavy fog warnings for tonight and in the morning. 
Gonna try to get mom out to visit a friend of hers for an hour or so tomorrow. She hasn’t been out of the house and went anywhere since December 14 when dad went to the hospital, then she got sick on the 16th. Dad’s had a couple of exceptionally good days... hopefully they stay that way. 🙏 

Heading home Friday evening to get some stuff done there. Then back here next Wednesday night.

I’ll give y’all a good giggle... 🤭 

DH and I both smoke... in the house, vehicles, garage, etc. 

My mom has never smoked, but it doesn’t bother her. We always take my van... so I can smoke.

My dad is a *reformed* smoker. He quit 45 yrs ago. NO SMOKING ALOUD!! Not in the house, not in the vehicles, not in the garage or his big-@$$ pole barn! 
Well, when it was going to get really cold, my mom told me “You don’t have to go outside to smoke when it’s frigid... just go to the garage or basement. He’ll never know.” (Sad, but true.) So I did. Then once it started getting back up to about 20*, I started going outside again. Well... Thursday we started him on a new painkiller. My sister came over to spend the night so I could go home Friday. Thursday evening I went outside for a smoke break. On the way back in, I walk past his bed to where I sit in the living room and I stopped to ask him “how ya doing?/need anything?”... 

Dad: No. Where ya been?

Me: Out having a cigarette. See how cold it is out... <I slid a couple fingers in his hand.>
Dad: It’s too cold out... <then in a very low *secretive* voice>... you can just smoke in here. 
Me: <shocked, low, secretive voice... with half a snort that made my mom and sister look up> where?!?!
Dad: <whispering> In the corner. 
Me: <practically laughing> wheeere??

Dad: <still whispering> Oh, just in the kitchen. 
Me: <lost it and started cracking up> YOU are f—-ing HIGHER THAN A KITE!!  (New painkillers, remember?)

Mom and sis look like WTH? So I relay the whole convo to them and we’re all cracking up! I can now brag that I’m the only one that Dad has given permission to smoke in his house!! (Never, EVER, in a million years would I.) 

4 hours ago, Jeepers said:

I do love their little carts. Every one else must too because they have just as many small ones as they have big ones.

That’s cuz ya can’t afford to fill more than a little cart at Meijers. 
 

I prefer Aldis, then WM, lastly Meijers. DS2 and DD both shop at Meijers primarily. 🤷‍♀️ Even when DD worked at WMDC, she still shopped at Meijers. 😬 Crazy girl!! 
Aldis and Meijers has comparable quality for produce... though Aldis may not have as much variety. Aldis beats them both for meats... quality and price. I usually go to Aldis first, and if there’s things still on my list that they don’t have, then I go to WM. 

Mostly been sitting in my recliner this morning and smoking 🚬 my brains out.  When I left my mom’s, I told her “I just wanna go home, sit in my recliner for 3 days, and smoke 18 packs of cigarettes.”  After 11 days of reduced nicotine, I was starting to have panic attacks. 😬 Nicotine is a horrible thing... tell your kids!! 
I did get bills made out— only 1 is late. 
Gotta get some laundry done and repack my BOBs before going back to mom’s on Monday. 
Need to make a batch of lotion for a customer. 
Those are the only HAVE TO do’s for the weekend. 

0 with -17 windchill at 9:00 this morning. One more day of this frigid crap. Tomorrow is supposed to be 18*. Maybe I can get home tomorrow or Thursday for a couple of days. No big rush. Just need a break. Mom does too. Her birthday is next week. Supposed to be 40* that day. Her home health aid will be here. Think I’ll get her out of the house and go shopping— she loves shopping as much as I hate it! 😂 

I’m finding this interesting.. and wanting to join, but.. I don’t tend to plan meals/shop like any normal person. I hate shopping. In the winter, I tend to go once a month or less. In the summer I go much more often, generally because I have more money and tend to run the roads. 😂 But, even then, I shop sales/discount/bulk... only going to a *regular* store every 2-3 months. 
I’m not sure how I would keep track of spending ($20/wk/person) between my using stored items, buying a few needed items, buying prep items I may find on sale while shopping. 🤷‍♀️ 

Jeepers— not sure when you’re leaving, but... we’re supposed to get dumped on this weekend. 🥴 Northern Indiana and southwest/west Michigan. And high winds. It’s supposed to be a mess. Starting tomorrow morning. Going through Saturday. Frigid temps starting Sunday. Drive EXTREMELY careful!! 

Welllll... definitely did more than “one and done” today. 
Crocheted this morning. 
After noon, got up and started pasta dinner (kinda like throw together lasagna). Figured while I was in the kitchen that I’d clean out the coat closet before putting Christmas stuff away. The cubby where I store Christmas stuff is a built in cubby in the back of the closet that goes over the front stairs to the basement. Got that all done, Christmas stuff put away, and dinner done by 3:00. 
Ate, sat down in my chair and thought I was done for the day... then DS1 called right before 4:00. He’s the one that has the trailer at mom and dad’s. Ask him how grandma and grandpa are doing... he says about the same, but that my Dsis#4 (his aunt) is really sick. She’s been at mom and dad’s since Sunday evening. So, I get off the phone with him and call mom... while we’re talking, dad’s phone rings and she gives her phone to my sis. I talked to her for less than a minute and said that I didn’t need to talk to mom again— I’m throwing my stuff in the van and will be there by 5:30. So, I’m at mom and dad’s again, probably until Sunday or Monday as I already planned to come back up on Friday for the weekend.

I’ve figured out that I’m at a “one and done” point. I can get one thing accomplished and then I’m wiped out for the day. 
Went to town today. Rural King was out of their spring water and their RK brand cheap jeans. Did get my mom her coffee and got mouse trap/bait for the cabin. Walmart was fine... picked up more Alka-Seltzer, Tussin, Imodium. Grabbed 3 gallons of milk, tp for here and at mom’s, a couple loaves of bread and some more liquid smoke (DS2 got 2 more does on New Year’s Eve day— they quartered them and tossed them in their freezer til I can get to them). Then decided to stop at Goodwill to see if I could find DH a pair of jeans there. While looking, he called and said not to rush home— they’re running fiber optic internet past our house and were gonna have both drives blocked for about an hour. So, I found him one pair of jeans... and then *shopped*. I found a NIB air purifier for $25 (normally ~$100) and a marble pastry board (16”x20”) for $15 that perfectly matches my marble rolling pins. (I <ahem> “collect” rolling pins.) Also found 4 pkgs pastry clothes and 6 pkgs cheesecloth for $1/each, so had to grab those. Told DH that it was his fault that I bought things that weren’t on my list!! 

Tomorrow, I’m doing nothing but crocheting and making pasta dinner— I haven’t cooked an actual meal since getting home from mom and dad’s 3 days ago. 
 

and

Necie

Awwww.... y’all are WONDERFUL!! 

Sorry I’ve been MIA. It’s been kinda crazy and I’m trying to get a routine settled... always impossible and constantly changing anyhow. But my OCD (Organized Chaos by Denise) dictates that I must try. 

Dad was in the hospital from Dec 14-20th. Horrific is the best I can say about that. When he got home, I was there for 2 days. Went shopping the 22nd, had Christmas with the kids/grandkids here at our house the 23rd, then I got sick on the 24th. 

Fought that crap off for a week and made it back to mom and dad’s on the 30th. Spent a week there and just got home on Friday (5th). Still fighting off the crud— did nothing yesterday but sit and crochet. Today I made it to the basement and did some straightening up and made a batch of lotion— thought I was gonna hack up a lung before I finished it. So now I’m sitting on my @ss again catching up on reading here and watching Tom Seleck (Monty Walsh). 🥰 

Am hoping to keep doing and improving more each day. Have to be back up to mom and dad’s on Friday. 

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers and love from everyone!! So glad to be home! 
 

and

Necie

Christmas here today. Gotta get busy finishing up a few things. 
Dad is home. The system is broken. What a fiasco. Sisters/brother and I and nieces/nephews are taking turns to have someone there around the clock with mom and DS1 that are always there. I spent the night Thursday and yesterday... got home about 8 last night after DD relieved me. Sis#4 is staying today. Brother and wife are bringing a hospital bed today and getting it set up (something the VA has failed to supply even after the hospital said it was required—yet discharged him before it was in place). 😡 He’s been home since Wednesday night at 6:30 and they finally sent a nurse out at 6:30 last night (hospital said he should have 24 hr care) after Mom gave them what for and hung up on them. The care in the hospital was just as horrific. They are short staffed—nurses caring for 15-20 patients. But still horrific. Sis#1 was actually escorted off premises by security at one point because it was after 8 (visiting hours) and she was giving them hell cuz he was ill positioned  in a wet bed. I’m going back to mom’s tomorrow until further notice. I have nothing scheduled till who knows when. Sis#6 is off work til mid January, so she will be there a lot too.

13 hours ago, Jeepers said:

 

 

Necie, just give your DH a knowing look and pat him on the head and tell him you understand. Old peoples taste buds change when they get to be that 'certain age' and you will try to be more mindful of his special needs. 

 

Or maybe not... 

Oooh, nooooo... not for the reasons you might think. He would EAT THAT UP!! Go into his whole “Jeremiah Johnson” routine.  Then I’d have to kick him in the shins!!  Nope... you can never let the “King” think that he’s being catered to.