Monday, April 2, 2018

The day after Easter means...

Pie for breakfast.

Ham sandwiches for lunch.

Ham dinner from leftovers.

A big pot of ham and beans.  That will have to wait a couple of weeks.  A few months ago I had an infestation of little black bugs here in my apartment.  They were concentrated in my bedroom around my pantry closet.  That was the first time in the 21 years I have lived here that there has been an insect problem.  Well, except for a few fruit flies during canning season.  Anyway, I finally discovered the bugs were coming from my dry beans.  Tossed out the beans - problem solved.  I will order beans next week and make enough ham and beans for a couple of meals for me and for Duane, and then can the rest.

When I go to replenishing my stock of dry beans, I believe I will freeze them for a week and then vacuum seal them.  That should take care of any future creepy crawly problems.

My landlord knocked on my door a short time ago to let me know the water would be shut off while they fixed a pipe in the basement that had sprung a leak.  Not a problem.  I store cases of bottled spring water for drinking and lots of 2 liter soda bottles and large juice bottles of water for washing up, etc.  The lack of water gave me a really good excuse to postpone laundry and to spend the time playing with green and purple yarn.  Not that I needed an excuse .  :)

I have been glancing out my windows now and then, waiting for the snow to start falling.  Between now and Tuesday evening we are supposed to get 6 - 8 inches of the stuff. 

 Happy Spring!!

20 comments:

  1. Had to laugh at pie for breakfast. We took 2 pans of cheesy potatoes and came home with one of them. I watched my 21 year-old daughter eat them for breakfast, lol!

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    1. Kristina...OK. That's funny. Your daughter is a girl after my own heart!

      I won't tell you that my breakfast consisted of a ham sandwich and a slice of cherry pie. :)

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  2. I never realized that "pie for breakfast" was a problem ... :)

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    1. Rev. Paul...Within my family it isn't a problem. I remember my Mother scolding my Dad for feeding my kids chocolate milk shakes for breakfast. He just smiled and continued on, much to the delight of his grands. :)

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    2. Mom,I remember those carnation instant breakfast drinks that Grandpa made for us. They were so good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream . Ice cream is made from milk so is was good for you,according to Grandpa.

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    3. Duane...I think your Grandpa got a kick out of feeding you kids chocolate milk shakes for breakfast. He had it all figured out how they were as good for you as a traditional breakfast was. And I think he sort of enjoyed making them just because Grandma fussed at him about it. :)

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  3. Pie for breakfast sounds yummy.

    Enjoy the yarn and fun - laundry can always wait...LOL.

    I got a little more weeding done yesterday. Should do some today but I just don't have the energy. It's clear and sunny... and cold! We had frost again this morning. So I'm staying cozy with my fleece blanket and playing on the computer.
    Cheers, SJ

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    1. SJ...The pie for breakfast was delicious! It turned out to be kind of a low energy day here, too. Just wasn't up to doing much - so I didn't. The first wave of snow has passed, leaving just an inch or two behind. The second wave should blow in overnight. It seems odd, because I am indoors, but these snowy days and nights have an effect on me. I'm thinking tomorrow may very well be much like today. The Kindle is fully charged. The green fuzzy blanket is at the ready. Bring it on. :)

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  4. I grew up eating a lot of beans, but they upset my wife's stomach, so I don't get to enjoy them very often. The bad thing is, she still cooks for an army, eats one bowl herself and I end up having to eat beans for a week. By that time, I'm ready for a break! - lol

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    1. Gorges...I can only take a meal or two of ham and beans, even though I really like that dish. I will still make lots but will wind up canning most of it.

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  5. Vicki,
    I would not be so sure all the bugs are gone. One little egg will cause it to happen all over again. And, the critters will make their way elsewhere. Ask me how I know. You only have to freeze them for three days.

    Instead of putting the plastic bags in the freezer, I put the beans in the glass jar and put on the lid and tighten the band. That way, I don't get moisture in the bag that I then have to eliminate.

    If this were a time and place where you might be desperate, you could put those beans in a colander and just wash the bugs away. My mother said that during the Depression, my grandmother just sifted the flour to remove bugs, and they used the flour when it got bugs.

    Right now, I will throw out the beans and flour!

    Pie for breakfast sound fine to me. I fed my children strawberry shortcake for breakfast. The shortcake was biscuit dough with a very little sugar and more butter in the dough. I prepared a quart of strawberries with about two tsps. of sugar. They had no whipped cream, just a glass of milk.

    Husband disapproved, but it seemed as healthy or more so than a biscuit and jelly with milk. It had more fruit and less sugar, anyway.

    I might have pie for breakfast tomorrow.

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    1. Linda...It has been several months since the bugs were in the beans. I checked every possible place where they might be hiding and found none. Even if they had laid eggs the larvae would be long gone by now. I need all my jars for canning, so vacuum sealing works best for me. I haven't seen a single creepy crawler since, thank goodness!

      I like the idea of strawberry shortcake for breakfast. I will eat something in the morning, but many times it will be a sandwich or leftovers from the night before. Once in a while I will be ambitious enough to make bacon and eggs, but not often.

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    2. I thought this was a recent event.

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    3. Linda...The bug infestation was several months ago. I think they came with the beans as I had left them in their original packaging. I just had not replaced the beans I had to toss, so I have to wait to make ham and bean soup until I order more beans.

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  6. Your kindle and the fuzzy blanket sound like an awesome way to spend the day. The rain came back last night and is supposed to be with us for the next 10 days. I'm running a few errands this morning and then will cozy up with either a book or the computer for the rest of the day.
    Cheers, SJ

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    1. SJ...I curled up with the kindle and blankie this morning while waiting for the home care nurse to arrive about noontime. Since then I got busy with genealogy research on my computer. I do believe the green fuzzy blanket is calling my name for a nap now. The air outside is full of very large snowflakes. It is kind of hard to tell how much has fallen, as the wind is blowing the snow around, leaving bare ground in some places and small drifts in others. Sure am glad I don't need to go out. :)

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    2. And isn't that one of the best parts of retirement? Not having to be anywhere most days?
      The rain is here to stay for awhile. So glad I got the weeding started since it will be awhile until I can play in the dirt again.
      Stay cozy!! SJ

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    3. SJ...I love that part of retirement. Punching a time card was never high on my list of fun things to do. :)
      Hope the rain doesn't last too long and you can go dig in the dirt soon. Here the snow has stopped falling. We got about six inches. The sun is shining again but the temps are staying at freezing or below. I am really looking forward to opening my windows to let those lovely, warm spring breezes in. Doesn't look like that will happen any time soon.

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