Whatcha doing today?

[Littlesister]

Thank you Becca. Knee is still very sore and painful, but I am just working through it for now. You have more patience than I do on getting your house done. These guys are only here 4 hours and then leave. So it is very slow going. 8 hours would have had this house done before now.  And the owner sent them to finish a plumbing job and they got here late today. So had they come early this morning the kitchen would have been done. So will see what tomorrow brings. 

Been working on the garden past few days as well as today. Squash is in, okra, butter beans, green beans, and cucumber plants are all in. Plus, I got some herbs planted. I have 2 more plants of herbs to transplant tomorrow if it's not raining.  The raised beds are 95 inches long and I have 2 rows of butterbeans in one and 2 rows of green beans in the other one. Will see how they do and maybe next year I can get 3 rows of each in them but will see first how they do. Don't want to crowd them.  The bigger old area that DH and I used to have our garden at, my grandson tilled all that up. Still working on it as the grass grew over it and it is St. Augustine grass. That stuff is hard to get out. But we got it. So, hoping to have potatoes planted next week if not too late. I am running out of room for much else. But I have my pea picking brain thinking about a brand-new area for planting watermelon and cantaloupes. Plus, the strawberries over where the blueberry bushes are. Getting nowhere yet on canning but the garden is almost done.  So far peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and onions are doing great. Hoping and praying the rest does really well this year. We all need to have a great crop with prices in stores like they are. Will be pulling out dehydrator as with the new counters being extended for bar, I now have a place to put the dehydrator on counter where it can stay put and yet out of the way. Will get more use out of it that way. 

[Jeepers]

The lawn guy showed up at 7:00 this morning! We have a noise ordinance law but I guess everyone was too relieved to see the grass mowed that they kept quiet about it. LOL  He did a great job. Now I don't have to wait until dark to leave the house. It was that embarrassing. I'm going to hire him to do the 2 beds in front of the house now. Weed it, mulch it and replant three small shrubs. At least the front of the yard will look nice. I might even have the trim painted if I can find someone locally IE cheap. Then the outside will be all done.

 

He is charging $60.00 a mow but I have a big yard and that's the going rate around here. I didn't want to pay it but since I'm a new customer and I know others in my neighborhood are paying that, and more I'm kinda stuck. But he is a nice young guy trying to hold a business together so I'm okay to help. I was paying $40.00 a mow with the other guy. But I really think he would start charging $45.00 this year because of gas etc. which I totally understand. Same thing happened with my snow plow guy. More unintended consequences of the gas hike. Service people will have to charge more. They pay more for gas and we pay more for their service. No one wins.  

 

Tonight I have to repackage some cereal. Last night I Mylar bagged 16 boxes of four different brands of cereal. What I call adult cereal. All-Brand, Grape-Nuts, Cheerios and Shredded Wheat. This morning not one of the bags had flattened. Not even a little bit. I used a 500cc oxygen absorber. Must have still been too much air in the bag when I sealed it. So tonight I'm going to vacuum seal them first and then put them in a Mylar bag. Shame because I wasted 15 gallon size Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. Lesson learned I guess. Use more O.A. if there is a lot of air left in the bag. 

[Littlesister]

Jeepers, I had to hire a new guy to cut my grass and though I do have a very large yard. The ones that are not in the business any longer only charged $40. Now the new guy that I got is charging $60 but he is doing a great job. So, with gas prices rising, I am not complaining. I did get my push more back last Sat. But SIL didn't bring it back in the best of condition. I was nasty dirty and missing the side piece that throws the grass out. So might see about getting a new one or to check the shed to see if it has a bagger. If it does that would be even better as the grass clippings can be used for the fertilizer pile. The only thing I want to do is replace the siding and guttering. The house is brick but has wood trim that we put siding on to keep from painting it. It is not a top priority so it will get done at some point down the line. Otherwise, nothing else left to do on outside of house. Just working on inside. So, hoping they will be finished within another month. I have things I need to get done that I won't do while they are here working. I have at least 50lbs. of wheat berries I need to get into mylar bags, and I don't dare pull that out with construction workers here. Guess that is one of the reasons I am in an all-fired hurry for them to get this work done. Lots to do that I can't get done and has been over 4 months needing to be done. 

[Becca_Anne]

Glad your lawn got mowed! It's raining here and today a new issue- the upstairs porch roof is leaking....and the "floor" of that enclosed upstairs porch is an old tin roof over my entry way area and apparently not waterproof and it leaked all the way through into my downstairs  So I have a pot catching the drips. The roof up there is only 1 yr old so we left a message for the guy who put it on for the previous owners and hopefully he can come make it right. Sigh

I am going to need this house to understand I am up for maintaining everything, but it's going to have to let me get one problem done before starting a new one!

[Jeepers]

I feel your pain Becca_Anne.

My son always says, "If it ain't one thing...it's your mother."  I think I kinda resemble that remark.    Brat.

[Jeepers]

Think you guys have it rough?  Pffft.

 

I just made a much anticipated fried bologna sandwich and I have no mustard. Not one drop.  I'll bet I have a dozen+ bottles...in Indiana.

 

Please don't tell anyone I ran out of mustard. My prepper card might get revoked. 

[Annarchy]

  Gosh Jeepers, you gave me another laugh.. I just put mustard on my shopping list, and Dijon….  

[Mt_Rider]

4 hours ago, Jeepers said:

Shame because I wasted 15 gallon size Mylar bags

 

I haven't used Mylar and O2 absorbers but .....can't you just cut the bag at the very very top and have the rest of the bag to reuse? 

 

MtRider   

[Jeepers]

I

Just now, Mt_Rider said:

 

I haven't used Mylar and O2 absorbers but .....can't you just cut the bag at the very very top and have the rest of the bag to reuse? 

 

MtRider   

I thought of that but it is sealed too far down. After I cut it down and then resealed it I'd only get about a pint size bag. I'll do it any way to save for something small. Not sure what I'd have that small though. Maybe Kool Aid packs but I ready have them vacuum sealed. 

[Wychwood]

Went to the Breast Screening clinic and got my boobs squashed, just a routine screening.

Heard from the Cancer trial I am taking part in, it was just a thank you letter and reminder to let them know if I move. If this testing system works, it will look for markers for a number of cancers in the blood before other signs are detectable. It will scan blood samples alongside regular screening programmes in the hope of detecting cancer at a much earlier stage.

If you're interested, you can read more here.....NHS-Galleri Trial | About the trial

 

I also did a bit of doomsday shopping (as my son calls it) and got some more soap, shampoo and shower gel for the hygiene box. I also got a some stocks for the medicine box.

 

#feelingabitsmugnow 

[kappydell]

Storms  are predicted for this  afternoon, so this morning Mary & I went out to do routine garden check & any maintenance work.  She cut a piece of the old chicken wire fencing that we kept when we put up the new fancier fence, and I picked out the vineas that had grown thru it while it was on the storage pile (we always check there for recycle-able bits & pieces like good homesteaders.  Especially now with prices going nuts and resupply issues, we are glad we developed that habit.)  We have to hide our junque pile though, some of the city folk moving out here do not appreciate our recycle pile....yet.)  We made a 5 foot tall trellis/fence to fit along one side of the greenhouse, and erected it inside, next to the cucumber vinesa that are sending out climbing twiners, looking for something to climb.  We started them up it.  It will only take a minute longer to check on them daily, to keep them growing up instead of out.  We have teensy cucumbers showing, I am already drooling over the thought of fresh fridge pickles.  i also picked about 2 quarts of 32 inch long yellow squashes.  The vines are heavily loaded, so today's picking hopefully will make more room for the reamaining squash to grow.  The freezers are still full, so I will have to look around to find the canning and dehydrating directions for summer squash. (No food wasting this year,  as we do not know how bad the prices are going to get.) They will make excellent southern yellow squash casserole.  And there is always mock pineapple, whick makes a nice fruit salad addition.  I bet it would be good with some of those wild blackberries growing all over the yard.  

 

I dried my first batch of herbs - a quart jar packed with rosemary, 3/4ths quart of sage leaves, and about 2 cups of oregano.  I did not need to buy mint plants this year as the mints I planted last year escaped their pot and are growing on path to the garden.  I might snatch up one of the escapees and put it in a pot so it can grow a little taller for dehydrating, but for just a sprig or two I just go check out in garden path.  A sprig or two is all I need to toss in the tea. Tomorrow AM i will go pick a bunch of black raspberry leaves to dry. for tea. The blooms were numerous this year, now I am eagerly awaiting the fruit.  I will have to suit up to pick them though, as they as thorny as they are prolific.  The wild fruit always seems to taste better to me but maybe thats the price (free for the taking) talking, LOL. 

 

Mama kitty and the babies have just moved into my bedroom,  They have a path back among my storage boxes to a small hidey hole they like, so we let them stay indoors.  It muat be a good spot, as it is the same place the last mama had her babies.

 

 

 

 

 

[Midnightmom]

18 hours ago, Jeepers said:

Please don't tell anyone I ran out of mustard. My prepper card might get revoked. 

Stop into a 7-11 or any fast food place (including gas stations) and grab a few of those individual condiments packages. They even have them in the deli depts at Walmart! 

[Jeepers]

1 hour ago, Midnightmom said:

Stop into a 7-11 or any fast food place (including gas stations) and grab a few of those individual condiments packages. They even have them in the deli depts at Walmart! 

It was too late by the time I discovered the tragedy. Everything was closed. I'm gonna grab a handful next time I'm at Sheets gas station. For emergency use only. It was heartbreaking. 

[Mother]

What? No mustard seeds on hand?  It’s easy to whip up some very tasty mustard.  I keep them on hand at all times.   
 

BTW,  did you know you can grow kitchen mustard seeds?  Most whole seed spices germinate well.  Dill, on the other hand normally fails.  

[Jeepers]

Thanks for the link Wychwood. I'm interested. It runs in my family.   The last one I had it was done using tomography. It was like a regular mammogram except they read it differently. I have one every two years but I'm nearly a year over due. I don't mind the mammogram but I hate the doctor exam. 

[Littlesister]

Didn't get much done today as the construction guys worked in kitchen all day. But now it is almost done. I can now get the cabinets cleaned down and finish getting things put away as well as getting my appliances back in kitchen. Now I can have room for the dehydrator to stay in kitchen where I can get more use out of it. So, I just caught up on some reading as it has been raining off and on and now, we are having thunderstorms. Just don't need a gully washer rain to wash my garden seeds up. So far, all light rain. GS is still having a down day. Hope he picks up tomorrow. He's been using muscles he forgot he had. So, a bit sore as well. Caught up on some reading while the kitchen was being worked on. Busy day tomorrow, funeral home and picking up ham biscuits for birthday party at church. I also lost another friend and found out this morning. that is 2 friends in a week. But I know they are in a much better place and one day I will see them again. Just hope no more of my friends pass as I have one now that is now doing well. 

[Jeepers]

21 minutes ago, Mother said:

What? No mustard seeds on hand?  It’s easy to whip up some very tasty mustard.  I keep them on hand at all times.   
 

BTW,  did you know you can grow kitchen mustard seeds?  Most whole seed spices germinate well.  Dill, on the other hand normally fails.  

No mustard seeds and no ground mustard. I was a total failure. I usually have some whole mustard seeds because I like to sprinkle some in my potato salad. I'm headed out to Meijers in a little bit. I've heard some spices have been hard to find lately. And I heard something about the mustard crop in France. Of course can't remember what it was but it wasn't good. 

[Jeepers]

13 hours ago, Wychwood said:

I also did a bit of doomsday shopping (as my son calls it) and got some more soap, shampoo and shower gel for the hygiene box. I also got a some stocks for the medicine box.

 

#feelingabitsmugnow 

LOL. My family says I'm prepping for Y3K.  

[Becca_Anne]

Note to self put sweet hot mustard on my list! It is half empty and that's not one I usually keep extra of because I'm the only one in my family who likes it everyone else prefers the dijon or regular yellow. My day was spent fixing a overwrite of a tracking document I use at work.  Thankfully I had another document with most of the information I needed to restore it and the copies of all the policies were in the portal so I used that for the rest of the restoration. 

Cool and wet outside today so no gardening. My dad is having surgery right now so I'm waiting to hear how it goes. He's in good spirits but it's always a bit nervewracking when your parent is having health issues. 

[Jeepers]

Becca_Anne, sending up prayers for your dad's surgery and for a speedy recovery!  

[Jeepers]

With apologies to Ms. Scarlett,  As God is my witness, I swear I'll never be hangry (for mustard) again. I went to Meijers and bought 11 bottles of mustard. One for the fridge and 10 for the pantry.   I just now thought...I probably could have gotten it at the Dollar Tree cheaper. They were closed but it could have waited until tomorrow. I'm losing my edge. 

 

If you have a Meijers near you, they are having their athletic shoes at buy one and get the second pair for $1.00. They only had one pair in my size. I need a 7.5. I might try a 7 and an 8 on to see if one or the other will fit. The Skechers were too expensive for me to buy one pair but if I could get a second one for $1.00 that would work out. 

 

Gas is $4.01 and diesel is $5.09. Poor truckers. 

[euphrasyne]

Occupational Therapy on the hand is going well.   I can do some things with it and I can type again.  We went to BJs and they had no cashiers, only self check out.  I bought a TON of stuff and had to do it all myself with a broken arm.  It was terrible.  

 

I approve of the mustard stockpiles.   We have a quart of powdered mustard, a gallon of mustard seeds, 8 bottles of plain mustard, 3 dijon, 5 spicy mustard, and 3 fancy german types.  We are serious about our mustard.  

 

I have a magic broom.  It looks ordinary, but when I lean it against the baby fence, she will not move the baby fence and stays out of the kitchen.  Magic.  Neighborhood garage sale is next weekend and we are getting ready for it.  My garage is overflowing and we are hoping to empty up some space.  

[Jeepers]

Euphrasyne, I was wondering the other day how your hand was doing. Sounds like it's coming along as well as expected. No more accidents for you! Thank goodness your other daughter is a step up kinda girl. I can't imagine shopping at BJ's and scanning myself. I was at Meijers (a little smaller than Wal-Mart) and they had no cashiers open either. Happens a lot there.  I picked up some mustard seed too.

 

Love the magic broom story. Kids. Ya never know what will work with them. 

[dogmom4]

Wow. Everyone has lot going on in their lives....just read 8 pages worth since I was last in this thread. Praying for you all.

I feel like I’m just hanging in there until June 10. Retirement can’t come any faster....I’ve been working with preschoolers for almost 40 years....love the kids but just am tired of the parent drama. People are too anxious and angry....and it’s spilling over onto their kids. It just makes me sad....

I took yesterday off just to do nothing. 
Today I’m going to the Whole Earth Festival at our local University. It’s the equivalent of a modern day hippie fest. I love going because I can find some wonderful handmade soaps, essential oils and real good food. And maybe a henna tattoo... It’s also fun to see everyone walking around in tye dyed tees and making giant bubbles....  
I also need to get out into my garden and get some transplants into grow bags. 
The weather is supposed to be in the 70’s today.

Edited May 7, 2022 by dogmom4

[Littlesister]

Dogmom, I know what you mean. I still haven't caught up on things. Sometimes I just get on without signing in to read up on what I have missed. But of course, there are the ones where I have to sign in to read but at least I could read up on some of the things I missed. 

 

Been very tired today and GS is back in his depressed state and acting up. So just took the ham biscuits to the church and talked with friend and came home. GS and I have to have a talk about things. Seems one of his issues is that he does not see the action of his consequences of things he does. several days ago, he got up during night and turned my AC way down on 64. I woke up freezing and couldn't understand why the house was so cold. Checked the thermostat and sure enough that is what he did. So, I put it back to 75 where I keep it. Tried to explain to him that 64* runs my electric bill way up and I cannot afford that after the money I spent on him to get plane ticket, get his car shipped here and other things he needed after he got here. Not to mention that I found out he left his good clothes at his sister's house, and she just found them. So, she is going to ship those to him. So, for 4 days he has been moody and fussy because I told him he cannot touch the thermostat. He really needs to learn the consequences of his actions. This is not going to be an easy task to teach him as he thinks he can just do what he wants no matter what it does to others. Then yesterday, he was helping to get some rocks that the people that was putting in the dry wells had put in and was throwing them in the grass. We were getting ready to plow up the area for garden and had to get the rocks up. Tried to explain to him about the rocks getting thrown by lawnmower as well as they could damage the blades of lawnmower and he didn't seem to understand the consequences of that move. So, I had to tell him not to do that and he got mad. So, I just Picked the rocks out of the grass and took care of that. How do you teach a 20-year-old the consequences of his actions have repercussions? He seems to see nothing wrong with the two things he did. One raising my electric bill way up and the other causing damage to lawnmower and or breaking a window if one got thrown by the lawnmower. He surely does not think ahead.