WHATCHA DOING TODAY?

[Homesteader]

13 hours ago, Annarchy said:

I’m still hoping for a wringer washer. Days gone by……

 

We have an annual 'steam and gas show' in a neighboring town. It draws 10,000's of fans. It's the largest in the Midwest. Everything imaginable is running there. The Amish have many of the items on display. I bet you might find one near you and make some offers. 

[snapshotmiki]

Heading out to the train station in about an hour  to head north.  Visiting kids, grandkids and meeting great grandkids! 

 

I think I have DH set up for my time away.  

 

You all have a good couple of weeks!

[Mother]

Enjoy and stay safe. 

[Littlesister]

Same here Kappy, prayers going out that you will continue to improve and be standing straight again. It can happen, you just need to keep that faith in the Lord. 

I am canning chicken this morning.  Still have to get the rest of chicken out of freezer. Bought a large pack of chicken breast to add to what I have in freezer. Haven't been able to find out why the shortage of chicken wings. But from what I have been seeing in the stores, it looks more like a shortage on chicken breast, legs, wings, and thighs.  So I will just keep canning as much as I can. 

Need to go furniture shopping soon. DD and SIL will be coming back in a month and we will be heading out to the furniture stores. Need a small desk, bedroom suit, and den furniture. I have been planning on getting new den furniture for a couple of years, but when Dh took sick I wasn't able. The furniture in there now is good furniture but it is leather, and both couch and chair is a recliner. Since my neck surgery I just cannot sit on it comfortably anymore. So need to find something that is comfortable for me. 

Got a lot of boxes in the small bedroom to go through. It is no longer in every room in the house. So I have a chair in there with 3 boxes. One for trash, One for yard sale and one for what I need to keep. I am starting to see a good downsizing of the inside of house. 

The awning guy will be here on the 1st to give me a price to put up awning over patio door and see how I could do the kitchen window. I have to close the blinds in middle of the day due to the sun coming in and heating the den and kitchen up by 20 to 30 degrees. Air conditioner will not cut off when that happens and I am tired of being in the dark and having to turn on the  lights to see. So this should take care of that problem. 

Though I am doing better, I still have my moments. But at least I am getting better.  

Didn't make it to church Sunday as I was so sore and hurting when I got up Sunday morning from moving heaving stuff around.  I paid for that dearly. My hands are hurting now because of rain coming. Old Arthur is telling me my joints are going to hurt. He's right. We are suppose to have thunder storms today. Pain in hands or not, I need to keep moving and get the rest of this stuff done.  Going to start checking out Well companies to get a new pump and get that set back up again. Need to get that done soon as using city water to water plants will not be cheap and water is going up 25%. Welcome to surprising Suffolk. It just gets worse and worse. Next to Portsmouth, we pay some very high taxes around here.. 

[kappydell]

CRISIS OF THE DAY is getting to be a normal thing around here!  I could use a little boredome right now, LOL.

 

Yesterday afternoon our boisterous young pup wrapped his tie out around the yard water spigot.  Mary was talking to a heighbor walking her dog down the road (yes, it is so rural here that everybody walks down the middle of the road, stepping around the basking animals).  Donbrae was doing his usual jumping up and down and barking for her attention.  He BROKE OFF THE WATER SPIGOT!  We had an immediate fountain of water, but worse yet outdoor mama kitty had moved her little ones under the front porch, which floods when it rains.  So after doing the belly flop in the nice fresh mud (the red clay stuff - nice and slippery) to dig out the water turn off, we heard the cat babies screaming in fear under the lowest front step.  Fortunately I knew where the crowbar was and it was close.  We grabbed the crowbar, pried off the step and Mary scooped out the hysterical kittens while I made sure air ways were clear, and put them on a dry spot.  Once all six were out, we dried them off and put them back in the covered cage where Mom had insisted on having them - it was warm and dry with a carpet pad we had laid down.  So today we get to repair the broken pipes, refit the yard spigot, and build a box around that thing staking it down so NOTHING will move it.  (I guess I can add plumbing repair to my list of skills, LOL)

This morning we are both sore as hell and crabby from no water.  Fortunately we had water stored, so it was a hot water basin wash up - we were both muddy after all that "mud wrestling" and early to bed last night in anticipation of a busy day (once we get our coffee, LOL).    

Edited May 24, 2021 by kappydell

[Jeepers]

Wow Kappy. It's a good thing you know where the water turn off is!!! It's never a dull moment is it. I'll bet your neighbors find you girls interesting. LOL. I'm thinking you need some chickens to give you something to do in your spare time. 

 

You need your own reality show. Tune in folks for, The Many Adventures of Kappy and Mary. AKA Two good ol' Midwest girls living their best life down in the South. Daily lessons in cooking, baking, gardening, animal wrangling, plumbing and mud rasslin. 

[Jeepers]

Littlesister you are doing a fantastic job moving forward on your goals. Pace yourself so you don't have setbacks. I'm so happy you are doing well!  

[kappydell]

We have water!  On Monday after coffee, we headed to Lowes and bought what we thought we would need to repair our spigot....pvc pipe, primer, glue, stuff like that.  Came home, made our first cut, and....headed back to Lowes for things we discovered we needed and did not get the first time.  By this time it is high noobm 93 degrees.  Made lunch then we agreed to wait until the sun dropped a bit behind the trees to finish the job.  

About 5 PM we were in the front yard, digging around our target site a bit more, when one of our neighbors stopped, and called to us, laughing, that we are too old for mud pies.   We laughed, then told him we were working on getting our water back on,, and told him "the dog did it" which was true, of course.  

Lo and behold!  Our new friendly neighbor was a plumber, and volunteered to go get his tools to help us, saying it would go much easier with proiper plumbing tools.  

We all got muddy again, but in an hour we had a new water pipe spigot, cover, and foam insulation on the inside (just like the original broken one).  We learned a few things from him. Needless to say, we delivered fresh vegetables today.  Broccoli, cab bage, collards, some little yellow summer squash, and scallions.  The best we had.  It is sure nice to have a nice neighbor.  Now we have two we have bartered with...the ones that gave us 2 dozen eggs saying they could not eat against their chicken's egg laying production, and now this fellow.  Still going to see that sewing machine too, so make that three in our growing barter network.  I told Mary today that that clinched it, I would not be getting chickens (she heaved a sigh of relief) because why duplicate someone else's work....I would consider honey bees my lead choice, because NOBODY has those in this neighborhood (but there is a beekeeper in the next town who sells bees, equipment, and the like).  And Mary made me a very happy gal when she bought me some muscadine grapes!  We planted them a couple days ago.  My parents had an orchard, and I loved working in it and selling the surplus.  Now we are up to two apple trees, a ponmegranate (a gift from a neighbor who was thinning hers), and two muscadines.  Together with the wild raspberries in our wild area (very prickery though) we have a nice jam and jelly ingredient selection coming along.  And applesauce,,,apple pie filling...apple crisp (marys favorite)...our trees are semi dwarfs not dwarfs so there will be apples aplenty in 5 years or so.   

[Littlesister]

Couldn't sleep well last night, so got up and went to den to watch TV. Fell asleep on couch and woke up at 8am.  I am feeling that one. The couch is not one you want to fall asleep on if you don't want to wake up sore. 

Got the chicken I canned yesterday put away. 7 pints. Still got to get rest of chicken out of freezer to can along with some beef.  Had coffee and then started doing little things around house. Then went outside to shed and pulled the old shingles out and put on street for trash pickup along with the old garden umbrella. Now I can get the ramp down and put in corner of shed. At the price of wood right now, I don't want to just throw it out. That wood might come in handy for either a ramp for me or something else down the road. 

Need to go out tomorrow to see about my phone being fixed. I hit something and now my pictures and everything else is distorted and I can't figure out what I hit. I was answering a call when it happened. So I will let phone people fix it for me. 

then going to market to see Dh's cousin about the guy he has to come take the ramp down.  Then I can start getting the garage cleaned up and getting the car back in it. 

I have been taken my time going through the boxes in small bedroom. A lot of stuff is going. Then I have the bookcases to go through. Lots of books that I have read that I want to box up for yard sale.  Now that the huge air compressor is out of garage I can stack all the yard sale stuff back in that corner of garage. 

I have tomatoes and green peppers. the tomato vines are going to be loaded. Looks like a bumper crop.  Green peppers are doing good and that rabbit is about to hit the canner.  I am having a hard time keeping it out of garden and seems he doesn't care I have sonic deterrent. So tomorrow I am going to put the rabbit deterrent down if it doesn't rain. 

 

Kappy, so glad you got your water fixed. That was great you had a neighbor that was a plummer. Worked out great. I am still trying to find someone to come work on my well. The last guy never called me back. But there are others I can call. Just hope I can get someone to come work on it soon. 

[Littlesister]

Well, again today Spectrum TV, internet and house phone went out. That is now 2 days in a row. Only this time it messed up my router. Have been on phone between spectrum and Linksy. Linksy guy got it back on line and then out it went again. So between the router and computer both being old, it is time for a change. I now have the router connected directly into the computer to get internet. Going to now have to just buy both a new router and a computer. It is past time. And will also be looking into getting rid of Spectrum. I am over those people. There has to be a better way to watch TV or be on internet without Spectrum cutting in and out all the time. And they don't deduct that time from the bill either.  So for now till I can get some things done around here. the computer is sitting in small bedroom where router is connected, on a box and I am sitting in chair in front of box. Not very comfortable like this, but will do for now.  Called Dh's cousin this morning and he will be getting his guy to come remove the ramp and put in shed for me. At the price of wood, I am not going to pitch it in trash. I might could use the wood for raised beds or something. 

I did get one box in small bedroom emptied today. Mostly yard sale stuff. So almost have another box full for yard sale. I don't know that I will continue to do as much craft stuff anymore. So having a hard time as of what to keep and what goes. 

Need to run out tomorrow to get somethings done that I thought I was going to do today.  Going to head out to the mattress depot tomorrow. My neighbor told me about it and said they have some really good mattresses. She had to buy one for her father in law. So might be going ahead and buying one for the front bedroom. The bed is now set up and just needs a mattress and boxsprings. 

 

 

[Annarchy]

Today I began peeling & slicing beets.  Looked at the canning instructions… yeah, right… cook & peel… sigh. So I got a blister for nothing. Lol. They are in the canner… Yesterday, I washed & blanched a five gallon bucket of greens.  Waiting for my timer to go off & DH to get up.  Night owl, he is.

[Jeepers]

Dang Annarchy. Yeah, the skins slip right off if boiled a few minutes. 

 

What I really dislike is peeling potatoes. They hurt my hands so bad. Remember those Rotato Express electric potato peelers? Wonder if they really work? If they did it would be worth it for me because I can so many things with potatoes in them. I've thought about using an apple peeler corer but their would be a lot of long cores to deal with. Suppose you could can them seperately for a fun side dish.

 

Hummm. Can them with some garlic and dill. Then open a jar and fry in bacon grease and onion. I think I'm on to something here.

 

Sorry. I digressed again. 

 

How many jars did you get? Did you can or freeze the greens? Or maybe dehydrate them? I really want to dehydrate some kale and make it into powder to sprinkle on food for hidden nutrition. 

 

[Littlesister]

Jeepers, the farmers market has an electric potato peeler.  Don't know the name of it, but it works great.  I want to check with the manager or Dh's cousin to see if they would put some potatoes through it for me. then I can just bring them home wash them and get them canned. 

 

Today I went to cell phone place to see if they could figure out what I hit on my phone. Pictures and keypad and everything was distorted. They got it figured out and now is good to go. Then I went to Town Bank to talk with them about a home equity loan. So now I know what is what and will be getting the estimates on the fireplace and jacking up the house as soon as I get these smaller projects out of the way.  Got 3 well guys to call on estimates for the well. Then I am going to turn my attention on the bigger problems and get the home equity loan for those and maybe the main bathroom. That does need some work as well. 

Then went to farmers market to buy strawberries and corn on cob. Came home and made 2 strawberry pies. Had 2 pie crust in freezer since Christmas and needed to get them out and used. So one pie the kids can take home with them.   It is my turn to cook dinner tomorrow night. So cooking ribs on grill, baked beans, corn on cob and strawberry pie for desert. Now that my grill is all back together with all new parts, I will be back doing a lot of grilling instead of heating up house this summer.  

Thought I still had some cans of pork n beans here but had to run to store to get a couple of cans. (ouch!) What I used to pay 10 for a dollar for, then later up to 25 cents a can is now 79 cents a can.  Not even a lb. can. Since I was there I checked out the chicken and not much to be had. Meats were looking a bit slim this time. Produce has gone up as well as canned goods again. I didn't price the meats this time around. 

 

Sunday after church I am going to go to friends house since I will be out that way and help her out a bit. She is the one that fractured her back and they still won't let her do anything. So going to take her to the new Aldi's out her way to shop and I will be doing all the lifting of the bags for her as she is still not allowed to lift anything nor will they let her bend over to use her oven. Then we are heading back to her house and have some lunch and then I am going to help her get a few things done around the house. She is not allowed to vacuum either. So I will help her get all that done. And it will give me something to do other than being at home going through boxes of stuff. I need the break from here. Might just do me some good as well. 

[kappydell]

What IS going on with chicken prices?  Mary was talking with a friend back in Wisconsin and happened to mention that chicken was on sale here this week, (thighs, drunsticks, and breasts) all parts for $1 a pound.  Her friend asked us to bring some up when we came.  She also wanted one of the whole rib-eyes selling for $6.50 a pound cut up for her, too.  I know the rib eye is a good price (heck we bought the limit, two apiece, and are going back tomorrow.  For a $3 a pound savings, I will gladly cut it up myself.    Mary likes them trimmed with no fat, I hate to see the bits of meat going to waste, so I glean them for stir fry.  Our freezers were getting about half empty, these sales (plus the one for ground chuck) should fill the bill nicely.  I expect after Memorial day prices will rise sharply.  But chicken??  That has always been my budgets best buy.  Oh, well....

Edited May 28, 2021 by kappydell

[Littlesister]

This morning I went through boxes from the small bedroom.  I am trying to hold out washing clothes as the guy is suppose to come remove the ramp for me. I am trying to hold out till it is town so I won't have to stand sideways to get the clothes out of washer and dryer.  But he didn't come today, and being a holiday, I don't think I will see him before Tuesday. 

Granddaughter and her boyfriend was here for dinner this evening. The grill I had to put all the new parts on worked really well. No issues so I guess I got them on right.  So grill will be good for another few years before I have to replace them again. 

Got kitchen cleaned up and then kids left to go home as granddaughter has to get up early in morning to babysit 4 children. 

going to the mattress warehouse tomorrow to see what kind of mattresses they have, If they have what I want and it is on sale, I am going to go ahead and buy one for the bed in guest room. Then I can finish that room up. Then going to work on small bedroom and try to get the rest of furniture out of my bedroom and get that rug out. Then I am going bedroom and den furniture shopping. 

 

Kappy, that is some great prices on the chicken and rib eye. Both are very high here. last time I priced rib eye it was $9.95 a lb. Need to go to Sam's club and price out the whole beef prices. I hope they will cut it up for me though. Otherwise I will have to get my granddaughter's boyfriend over here to do it for me. That wedding is going to be here before I know it and I still need to buy a dress. 

[Ambergris]

I'm going back to my old job in two months.  This new job has ranged from wonderful to weeks of the kind of stress that my post-concussion brain and herniated spine can't quite handle any more.  At least I've been working at home, right?  But now people have been ordered back to the office in stages, and everyone is supposed to be back in the office--right downtown, with all that congestion--barring ADA paperwork that I don't quite have because of my neurologist's office being so disorganized.  The office took four months (two months from the date of being handed a card) to find the phone number of the right mail-in pharmacy for the largest insurance company in town.  I've been handed inadequate or incomplete paperwork more than once, and how they whine when told that! 

I'll be working split weeks: some days in the office (not all the way downtown) and some at home, and maybe shorter days in the office to accommodate the back issues.  Also, I've been shorting myself on medical care because the doctors have been shuffling appointments due to illness or whatnot, and I have been unable to keep up with them because my work schedule is very strict and planned out three and four weeks ahead.  Back at my old job, I'll be able to take off half a day for a medical appointment with a minute's notice unless something special is going on.  The flip side is that the work itself is very much harder, and "Excellence is the minimum; perfection is expected."  I'm also told the work has changed, and that it's harder than it was . . .

Edited May 31, 2021 by Ambergris

[Homesteader]

You might want to consider another career before you kill yourself. The sad part is that they will always find others to replace you. Your life is worth more than what they are giving you credit for. Step back and analyze your life. What is the worst that can happen if you change directions in life and save your health? Once gone, you can never get your health back. No job is worth your health.  

[Jeepers]

I saw where KitchenAde has a peeler/spiralizer attachemet. Kind of expensive but it would probably last a lot longer than the other cheaper ones. I got a $600.00 tax refund check from the fed. gov. (had to pay state) a couple of weeks ago and I still have it. Think I'll go ahead and buy one. It's very hard on my hands peeling so I know I'll use it. I said any government money I got was going to preps so there ya go. I'll be right by B. B. & Beyond tomorrow so will drop in. 

 

I think that leaves me with just one other major kitchen prep item to buy. Famous last words. A bread machine. I have no clue in that department. 

[Homesteader]

8 hours ago, Jeepers said:

I saw where KitchenAde has a peeler/spiralizer attachemet.

 

I have most of the attachments to the Kitchen-Ade and really enjoy them during harvest season. I've not tried the peeler/spiralizer attachment. When DH gets too snoopy in the kitchen, I just hand him the peeler and the bag of potatoes.  An add-on grain grinder 25 years ago was awesome. Don't remember where DH found it but I still use it every week. The pasta maker, not so much. Dar gave me one of hers and I use it for homemade pastas, but pasta is still pretty cheap in the stores. 

[Annarchy]

Whew!  Our house is back to quiet normal.

 

Sunday, we had company.  Dog transport.  He went from Austin, TX, picked up 2 dogs in KY.  Drove to the northwest border of WA, had the dog checked at a vet, to get papers to travel to her new home in Canada.  Then, he headed toward us.  Griffin, a full bread German Shepherd, looks a lot like Storm, a little less brown in color.  K came over about an hour before the transport got here.  I was busy, preparing to barbecue them their meal.  Salad, steak, corn on the cob and Texas toast.  The dogs got along very well.  But, Storm had issues with the transporter.  Sigh.  Griffin & K seemed like they fell in love, at first sight.  Lol. His Daughter is elated with her birthday present. 
 

 

K understands, it’s his dog, kids usually don’t take responsibility seriously.  But, with a 9 yo, 5 yo, and a 2 yo, that puppy is going to be spoilt.  Lol

[Ambergris]

Three and a half years to full retirement, with a pension.  Where else do you get a full pension these days?  I have today off to handle the usual three appointments.  Two of the doctors have cancelled out --of course!!!-- so I've been trying to get a work-in with another, but it's not looking good.  

Edited June 1, 2021 by Ambergris

[Jeepers]

I'm sorry you are sruggling with your health Ambergris. It would be so hard to walk away from your security plan with only three and a half years left to go. A pension and soc. sec. in your latter years would be hard to walk away from. Especially being single.

 

People are screaming for help right now so that would be to your advantage. On the other hand, your company might want to see you go so they can hire someone new at a lower start in pay scale fill your place. They are probably looking at your pension plan too. 

 

Three more years seems like a long time when you are hurting. But the years do seem to be flying by. Maybe new doctors would help your situation. Or at the very least not aggravate it. 

 

 

 

[Midnightmom]

10 hours ago, Homesteader said:

The pasta maker, not so much. Dar gave me one of hers and I use it for homemade pastas, but pasta is still pretty cheap in the stores. 

 

There is a relatively new YT channel called "Pasta Grammar" that you might be interested in perusing - it is hosted by a young man and his ITALIAN wife. The name comes from the fact that he never knew there were RULES for how to prepare, cook, and eat various pastas correctly. 

[kappydell]

Yesterday we cut meat.  LOTS OF MEAT.  Mary talked to her friends up in Wis that we are going to visit in August about the meat sale.  They were shocked.  So we bought more to cut up and take up to wisconsin when we go.  Since we are taking the pickup truck, whats a cooler or two.  However, 12 whole rib eye primal cuts later (10-12 pounds each), all the freezers (yes all three) are packed to the top with meat...some for us, some for others.  We have steaks and pork cuts for one friend; another asked if there were T-bones on sale (there were, about half the price she had been paying) so she gets rib eye steaks and T bones.  Then Mary's cousin who is going to the class reunion with her (50th for both of them) mentioned that she was cooking a lot of chicken trying to save money, but chicken is getting expensive up there, too.  Down here it ALSO was on sale for $1 a pound, be it drumsticks, thighs, or breasts.  So she is getting steak and chicken pieces.  Im starting to feel like we own a meat locker, LOL.  (Do they even have those anymore??  Ive not been able to find one, or we might have rented one for a while.)  We figure after Memorial day prices will skyrocket and sales will become scarcer.

So last night we cut jmeat, today we went out and re-arranged the freezer, removing older cuts of pork, beef and chicken to a wheeled cooler, to make room for the other wheeled cooler full of those fresh cut steaks.  We cant fit another thing in there, LOL.  Tomorrow, if it is thawed enough to start cutting, I will cut it up then can it up.  We found canning jars at our local Walmart for $10 a dozen so I got three dozen quarts, which should hold all that stuff.  It is quite a bit of work but very satisfying to me, even if we have to break down the job over longer time because our energy is more finite lately.

 

Today after arranging the freezers we went back to Walmart to pick up some of my meds.  Tonight I cut up the rest of the trimmings.  Rib eye steak in the primal cut has a "tail" of fat and lean mixed together.  It is a bit fiddley, but I gleaned 4 pounds of stir fry beef from those trimmings.  I almost wish I still made soap.  That beef tallow was beautiful, white and flinty hard.  It makes very long lasting soap.  But I have so much stuff on my to do list Im not starting soap, too.  And I cant freeze it for later, because those freezers are PACKED and we both refuse to buy yet another one!  Once all the canning is done I start on the sewing.  We bought some new scrub pants for summer.  They need to be shortened, but we do like that they are roomy and lightweight for summer activities.  While I am at it I will probably take the leg shortening cuts and make the pockets deeper if then are the loose pouch kind. If they are sewn down forget it.  We will just have to wear fanny packs for those necessities we would normally pocket.  

 

Now picking yellow squash, broccoli, scallions, cabbage and collards.  Lots of collards, as they are low carb diet friendly and VERY high in fiber.  Kills two birds with one stone.  Did you ladies ever try collard coleslaw?  I was intrigued, as I have been slipping shreds of it into mixed salads quite a bit.  But I re-visited using the blender to shred the slaw ingredients and it works extremely well for collard slaw.  I had mine straight, but the mayo was too wimpy a dressing.  Next time Im going to try the hot bacon & vinegar dressing over the usual hand cut strips.  Those flavors should complement the collards very well.  I also will try the collard wraps I saw...You shave down the mid rib and cut off the protruding part of the stem.  Then blanch until flexible, just a few minutes supposedly do it.  Then use in place of tortillas to wrap burritos, salads, what have you.  I do love to play with my food!

 

 

Im also quite pleased to report my first 20 pounds weight loss...took 6 weeks.  No hunger...I am using a low carb diet, helps with my reactive hypoglycemia.  I do watch the fat though choosing lower fat proteins (except on steak night, LOL)

 

Edited June 2, 2021 by kappydell

[Littlesister]

Kappy, that is a steal on the price of that meat. Looks really good. 

 

Miki, hope you are having a great time on your trip and praying for a safe return.

 

Ambergris,  I am so sorry to hear about your job and how it is effecting your heath. 3 and a half years is steal a long time to have to work as it is not going to make your health any better.  Have you thought about trying to get disability. At least that way you could retire early and still keep your pension. You might could check in to it and see if it would be beneficial for you to do so.

 

Well, it was not easy, but I packed up all of Dh's clothes from closet. It has been 4 1/2 months. So I thought it should be time. They say that each thing you do is a step closer to healing. I sure hope they are right about that because it sure didn't feel like it. But it is now behind me and hoping I can move on just a little bit more. But now I will need to find a quilter for the memory quilt. I am going to have that one made and then the others my daughter and I are going to make. With my hands like they are, I might not be a big help though. But I will be trying. 

Awning guy came late this afternoon and I got the awning ordered. It will be July before it is installed. It will be really great to be able to use the patio for the first time since I have lived here. This should have been done years ago but Dh didn't want one. I am a bit tired of the air conditioner not cutting off in afternoon because the sun is so brutal that it heats up the den and kitchen by 20 to 30 degrees and that is with the blinds closed. That awning will make a big difference in my electric bill. 

Yesterday, I went to my friend's house that had fractured her back.  She wanted to go to Aldi's to buy a few groceries. From the looks of things she didn't have much of anything in house to eat. Freezer was almost empty and her pantry only had 2 cans of food.  She lives on a small social security check and alimony. And it just is not that much. She owns her house which is paid for, but there are expenses that comes with that. So I let her buy what she wanted which was some fresh veggies and milk. That was all she could afford. So I bought her 2 huge packs of chicken and hamburger and a little more than 20 cans of veggies.. She cannot bend down to get things out of oven and can only cook on top of stove unless someone is there to put things in oven to cook and then to take it out again. So I helped her to get a casserole cooked and did a few things around house for her.  She has to keep the brace on for another month and they still won't let her drive. He son comes over on the weekend to help her but he won't shop at Aldi's. She said he doesn't like that store and won't take her there. The canned goods at Aldi's were 47 cents a can. If I had taken her to a Food Lion or even Kroger or Walmart, She would be paying anywhere from 88 cents to 1.89 a can. She could not afford those prices on her income. I am going to see about her getting food from the food ministry. She goes to our church and she could use the help. I worked in the food ministry before Dh got down so sick and I know she is not on the list. So I am going to have her added to it.