WHATCHA DOING TODAY?

[Annarchy]

Cleaned house, then, as the last load of laundry was in the wash, DH mentioned I should cover it.  I looked at the sky, it didn’t look like it was going to do anything.  Then, DH needed to print out the job he’s been working on all week, and the ink ran out.  I changed the cartridges and went into the kitchen to see it raining!!!  Amen!  Rushed out and covered the washer & dryer, fed the chickens and by the time I got back in, I was rather wet.  Lol.  Chilling out, to say the least.  80 degrees and I’m cold!  Took a hot shower, adjusting the water, because the washer decided to refill. 

 

Glad you got more jars, and that you are prepared with the Berkey WE2.  Most people around here, don’t get rid of jars.

 

All my pots and pans are stainless steel. I was able to find a stainless pressure cooker for $40. on Amazon. Hopefully, payday we will be able to get it.  

 

Goodness, Kappydell, Christmas already?  We don’t decorate here, because we are usually with MIL.  She still can’t be alone on Christmas....because dad died on Christmas Day.  Sigh.  Sadly, it isn’t a happy time of year for us.  It’s all good anyway.

[TheCG]

Instant Pots go on pretty good sales for Black Friday and Christmas.

 

I went to a class on meal prep yesterday.  Pretty simple, but she was talking about how you can chop all your veg and stuff and use it in practically everything throughout the week.  I need to work on that so we actually eat veggies...

[Ambergris]

We have been making trips out into the yard all weekend to inventory what survived the summer.  It could have been worse; it really could. Some of the survivors will have to be rearranged, now that I know more about them and the land, and a very few of the dead ones will be tried again for the same reasons. Also, I plan to try some new kinds.

 

Interestingly, the only pear I have so far found is a Perdue, which is described as a sweet, soft, pear-shaped pear that is resistant to fire-blight and self-fertile.  Sounds like a winner to me!

 

This place is pretty big when you try to hike all over it, combing through the underbrush for marked plants.

[Mt_Rider]

......any.......snakes in that underbrush?  

 

 

Am I STILL recovering from Wed/Thurs.  DH came home from a quick grocery run.  I pulled the bags up our pulley system and while putting them away, I thot I was going to pass out.    So I went to bed and knocked out for hours.  I kept waking briefly, intending to get up....and then I woke briefly, intending to get up.....repeat....  Whew!  DH and dog weren't exactly quiet either....he made burgers, etc for supper.  I was 'off-line'.  Sheeeesh!

 

  I do hope that dratted MS Fall Fatgue Thing hasn't hit me.    I have too many projects half-started to deal with no energy for weeks.  MIGHT be still recovery after weeks of DH working F.T. and me full time "Holding Down The Fort".....   

 

MtRider   

[Jeepers]

Praying for your energy level to return!  

 

I've been down for about a week with that sciatic nerve pain in the back again. It's getting better but it usually only lasts a day or two on one side. This time it's gone on for about 5 days and on both sides intermittently. Heating pad and Advil help some but not a lot. I don't know why I'm so slow to take aspirin. I have it in my mind that it isn't good for you. Like gonna kill me. I'm okay with it if I take it on a full stomach. I'm going to try some after lunch.  Every thing in moderation...right.  

 

Lunch + Full Stomach = WENDY'S

Salad, baked tater and a Frosty. Oh yeah. Maybe even add on a chili. It's for the sake of my back ya know. Remember... so I can take two aspirin. I have to be out doing errands anyway. Now I'm just justifying it in my head.  

[snapshotmiki]

Thursday, made oven fried okra and chicken strips. Both turned out great!

Friday, made unstuffed pepper casserole for DH, keto type egg muffins for me, brown rice for dogs, and cake batter dip for garden party.

Started Saturday re-potting 6 aloe vera pups for a garden party. Then hot glued flowers to my one hat for same party. Made a flower shaped appetizer from sliced cheese and grapes and then went to party.

Yesterday, Church this morning, then to Dollar General for 2 items and then to an estate sale nearby for half price day. Home to make a brownie batter dip for event after Church and then served at event and cleaned up. There was a message from a pastor who may become our new full time pastor. Then visited him after Church.

Today, DH has a doc appt about 70 miles away.

 

New puppy is exhausting but doing well with potty training.

[Mt_Rider]

8 hours ago, snapshotmiki said:

New puppy

 

 

 

Just woke from this afternoon's nap.  Sheeesh.  Only a couple hours this time.  But sleeping til 7 yesterday really messed up bedtime...2AM.      Only good thing about being up at 2AM is free Internet time.  I can get all the downloads down loaded w/o using our paid time.    but I was waaaay to tired to do that last nite. 

 

Just haven't felt MY normal functioning since last Thurs.  Haven't walked the dog since the day before that.  But today/tomorrow DH is working so I'm doing tonite's chores.  A lovely rain storm is going overhead.  Needed some and it wasn't in any forecast.     It will be gone by the time I need to feed/walk dog.  Feels like I've been in isolation [more than usual] for days.  

 

Hope your pain leaves and you can get back to normal, Jeepers!  You've been having a string of stuff.

 

MtRider 

[Ambergris]

What's the pastor like?  Or does that go in the Psst section?

[snapshotmiki]

1 hour ago, Ambergris said:

What's the pastor like? 

 

 

I believe he has a good heart and is very down to earth!  The only complaints I have heard are from older ladies who think he wasn't dressed well enough.  I think they are missing the point!

[Mt_Rider]

As in....not dressed formally enough or dressed like he needs a better salary? 

 

In the book Papa's Wife....he's a pastor in Norway and eventually the whole family immigrates to America.  He's a pastor and at one point, his wife had to cut cloth from the back of his white shirt to make him a new, clean, not ragged collar that showed.  But he could never take his coat off.  Don't suppose they did ever get down to shirt sleeves in the 1800's. 

 

Got feeding done but didn't walk too far.  More than I thot I might....nice stroll.  If I keep the pace slow, I can go further.  Koa doesn't mind...plenty to sniff. 

MtRider 

[Jeepers]

Yeah, I've had a string of lousy health lately. I've been 'off my feed' for awhile now. I've been weak and tired too long. Not being able to get up and around makes it worse. Vicious circle. I know you guys know how that is. If I was a horse they would have...well, you know.

 

I did get a few errands run today. Mostly just in the car dropping off or picking up. I still haven't been to Wal-Mart. My list is getting ever longer. I've never been this run down before. Most of my blood work came out pretty good. Very low on Vit. B-3 but I'm taking a vitamin for that. I think I'll add some B-12 to it. She upped my thyroid med too.  Sigh. 

 

Also my Pre-diabetes is wonkie too. It's so strange but I'm not processing insulin correctly when I'm fasting. Like over night when my stomach is empty. When I was in Indy I slept one night for 12 hours and when I got up and tested my level it was 420!!! Anything over 125 while fasting is diabetic. Later that night after normal eating, it was down in the 100 range. I take my meds at bedtime. I told D-ex about it and he blew a gasket. Saying that doesn't make any sense and how can that be possible. Like I was making it up. X for a reason. She upped that dosage too. 

 

Somebody pass me some cheese with my 'whine' tonight. And crackers. Grapes? Oh, speaking of grapes, she told me I was eating too much fresh fruit because of the sugar content. D-ex really loved that one. I'm cutting his calls back and not sharing so much. 

[Jeepers]

I'm glad you are going to like your new pastor Miki. The last church I went to didn't have a dress code. Come as you are. The Lord is in your heart not in your clothing. Just be clean and covered. Then pastor said no one should be turned away or be made to feel uncomfortable if they can't afford the best. Having said that, he did wear a suit every Sunday and while some people did wear jeans, I never saw anyone inappropriately or scantily dressed. But I get it with the older generation. 

 

Great to hear Oreo is fitting nicely and that potty training is coming along well. I'm sure you are being kept on your toes by that little love muffin. 

 

Hope your DH doctor appointment went well. 

 

[The WE2's]

Praying each one of you find relief to your health issues.  I feel weird telling you that hubby's 6 month exam went excellent. He'll go back again in 6 months.  My yearly eye exam went excellent.  Eye site for distance excellent, readers for close up stuff and cataract surgery healed.  Will go back in a year.  I did "step out of their comfort zone" and it really threw them all.  I said "No to the dilation...you can see what you need to see without it.  No to the expensive test that they want to scare you to death with macular degeneration" ... the surgeon who did the surgery told me my eyes were healthy and that a measure of degeneration was expected for my age.  I also told them "there seems to be a conflict between what the surgeon told me and what you're telling me..so I'm opting out of all this stuff.  He just said "well OK, but call us if your vision changes".  I think I'll be changing from this eye care provider.  Figure...if you have 20/20 vision and there's nothing wrong with your vision/eye health...why do you need to be paying all these bills for tests that Medicare will NOT cover? Even the last pitch was for "prescription readers" ... yeah, over 100$ just for frames and then another 100$ for clear lenses with bifocals for reading?  Not.

[The WE2's]

Got 7 quarts of "beef stew in a jar" finished, washed up, labeled and boxed ready for the extended pantry.  One didn't seal so we had it for supper tonight.  Oh yum.  Wanna see?

 

[The WE2's]

Still have one more package of beef in the frig...tomorrow will jar up some vegetable beef soup.  I have a 5# bag of mixed veggies in the meat freezer and I need to work it up as well as the last of the beef.  Going against the grain, I may throw in a few of those "tiny" noodles.  I made chicken noodle soup with them and they turned out just fine.  The kind of noodles you get when you buy the dried Lipton-type chicken noodle mix.  Watched Janie Pendleton do hers a long time ago and then did it for myself.  Opened a quart early this spring and it was fabulous!  

[The WE2's]

Trying to get caught up with the laundry...canning keeps me pretty busy.  I've just ignored hanging them outside.  Wash and hang on the porch.  They actually dry faster because it's VERY warm and the ceiling fan is more breeze that outside so much of the time.  They just don't have that "smell" that's so lovely when they're dried outside.  

[Mt_Rider]

  for Jeepers.  So sorry to hear you're still not feeling well.  This has been a while now.  You've sounded like you're not feeling well so prayers had already begun, friend. 

 

MtRider   

[Ambergris]

Jeepers, you know you need the B-12 that dissolves under your tongue or that you get injected, right?  It won't absorb well through the gut.  There's also some discussion of sucking on a B-12 tablet until it dissolves in your mouth  but that's apparently a problem for your mouth in other ways (I didn't catch how).

Also, that man might have been your best friend and help mate for a long time, but he isn't giving you good feedback now.  X for a reason.

I am not a medical person, but I would think you need to be eating more proteins, less starch.  Not just less fruit.

[Ambergris]

We2, that is a beautiful sight.  I would purely love to commission some bottled stew like that. My official lifting restriction is one pound with the right arm now, but it's been in that range, practically speaking, pretty much all summer.  Canning on my own is right out, and all my own stuff is long gone.

[Jeepers]

We2, always elated to hear good news about you guys health! Keep up the good work. I hear you about the glasses. I went to the Dollar Tree and got some of the readers. I'm very near sighted so I don't need them but ya never know when you or someone else might need them. I think they had four different strengths. Try them on first though. Some of them are huge.They are wire frames and not too stylin' but who cares for a dollar each. 

 

Your stew is a thing of beauty. I layer mine like that too. Even your rings are pretty. They look like braids. I have Janie's recipe too. I think her channel name changed to Our Little Homestead. I could be wrong. I'm on the Kindle and can't look it up. I also have a recipe for chicken and rice soup. Just a pinch of rice floating in the jar and not packed down in there. I plan to make both when reunited with my canner. The experts DO NOT recommend canning with noodles or rice. Do so at your own risk and what's best for you. Had to put that in there. 

 

Ambergris, my vitamin B-12 level was good. My vitamin B-3 is way off. I do have some of the under tongue B-12 though and when I took it I think I did feel better. I'm going to start up again. I can't remember if I got it at my grocery store or Wal-Mart. It's Nature's Bounty and not too bad tasting. Cherry flavored. There is a Nature Valley brand that tastes pretty bad. If I could walk in and get a B-12 shot at the pharmacy like I did the tetanus shot I would. But doctor visits are so expensive. I have meds to pick today or tomorrow. I'll ask them. 

 

The problem with X is he has a bad case of the guilts. And he should. He wants to protect someone who doesn't need him any more. It's worse since we share a grandson and he lives across the country. He doesn't know where or how to fit in the new family dynamics. For me, in my heart/mind, I haven't necessarily moved on from the situation as much as I've moved away from it. I've known him for over 50 years and married to him just shy of 30 years. I was 15 when we started dating and he was 19. Lots of history there. I'm okay with him most of the time but sometimes I remember who I'm talking to and get p!ssy. 

 

 

Edited.  

I made a mess here. It isn't vitamin B I'm deficient in it's vitamin D. Vitamin D-3. I was sitting here and it pop in my head. Did I say B or D. Of course I said the wrong one. Vitamin D-3.  Sigh. I'm still going to start up the Vitamin B-12. I think I felt better on it.

 

Edited September 19, 2019 by Jeepers
I'm A Dolt..

[The WE2's]

13 hours ago, Ambergris said:

B-12 that dissolves under your tongue

 

It's a water soluble vitamin so you can't really over-dose.  When your body has enough you'll experience hot flashes.

[The WE2's]

Got the beef, vegetable and noodles jarred up this afternoon.  All the beef has now been preserved in one way or another.  Had a little bit of siphoning so I guess I was just too energetic and tightened the rings too tight.  Hope they all sealed...but if not...no worry.  Into the frig until tomorrow night and we'll  just have it for supper tomorrow night! 

[The WE2's]

Trying to catch up on laundry.  The body is pretty strong but when I spend an afternoon canning and cleaning up after myself...as well as keeping meal and dishes for them done up, I'm pooped!  I get a load into the washer and then hung up.  Today it was towels so used the dryer...very judiciously...to make sure one of those durn fins don't catch a corner and scorch it!  Towels folded and put away.  Wash clothes in dryer and kitchen clothes in washer for tomorrow.  Then I'll be caught up on that.  THEN it's his work clothes and bed linens.  Would really feel good to get caught up by next week and just start regular laundry!

[The WE2's]

Been using up my metal canning lids and plan to switch to Tattler's.  I'll keep a few metal ones for things I might give away etc.  I checked online at their web site as well as Amazon and I can get them cheaper at two of our Mennonite stores...which we frequent any way.  I'll try to snag a few bucks from hubby when he gets a check and add some more Tattler's to my stock.  I think I still have several boxes in the extended pantry...but can't ever have enough lids and rings...one kind or another.

Edited September 19, 2019 by The WE2's

[The WE2's]

Thanks for the compliment Jeepers...I have a couple of counter top paper towel holders that I keep my rings on (the ones I use all the time).  I wash them, put them in a collander, scald them with hot water and let them dry...then onto the towel holder they go.  Works for me. Don't care if they get dis-colored as long as it's not rust...I'll use them until they're no good and keep my new ones stores in the extended pantry.