Tuesday, March 10, 2020

When a person leads a quiet life...

sometimes it is a stretch to find anything to write about.  When that happens, you get little snippets of what is going on in my little corner of the world.

Bella the dog (see last post) spent the better part of the day with me while Oldest Son was at work.  She made absolutely certain that anything she perceived as a threat was kept at bay with a sharp bark or two.  She supervised the crews that are working on a building across the street.  This was done from the back of my couch, looking out the window.  We had some good conversations (Yes.  I talk to animals.) but when Duane arrived to collect her, she forgot I existed.

Duane told me that Bella's owner is on a cruise.  I don't think that would have been my choice in vacations just now.  We hope she will be able to come home afterwards without needing to spend two weeks in quarantine.  We wouldn't mind keeping Bella longer, but I wouldn't wish a quarantine on anybody.

I have been waiting for a good sale on meat to can, but no luck so far.  So instead I ordered for Thursday delivery the ingredients for my favorite relish/slaw to can.  I suppose the person who does the shopping will think I have slipped into senility when they see I have ordered 6 large cabbages.  What doesn't go into the slaw will go into the dehydrator.

I think a while back I posted the recipe for Amish coleslaw to can.  That is a good recipe, but I like this one even better.

Coleslaw to Can or Freeze

1 medium head cabbage
1 large carrot
1 green pepper
1 small onion
1 tsp. salt

Syrup

1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds

Shred together vegetables. Add the salt. Let stand 1 hour.
Drain water from vegetables. Boil syrup ingredients together for 1 minute. Cool.
Add syrup to vegetables. Pack into pint jars and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, or put into freezer containers and freeze.  (I have canned this in half pint jars for single servings.)
This slaw may be drained before use and mayonnaise added, or used as is.

I am making lots of it this time as it is a favorite addition to a meal and mostly because cabbage is on sale.

I am spending some time this week on various crochet and sewing projects, mostly to avoid the news, which is depressing.  I still check the headlines as I refuse to be totally ignorant of what is going on around us, but I am on information overload and need a bit of a break.  I can't ignore it completely, especially when I learn that there is a family here in my town who is self-quarantined due to contact with a virus case just across the river from my apartment.  That's a bit too close to home.

Just wanted to let you know I hadn't fallen off the edge of the earth.  Life continues at it's quiet pace.  Well, except for an early warning system named Bella.

Take care and keep on prepping.

14 comments:

  1. The news is definitely annoying.
    We talk to our cats all the time. :)
    Nothing wrong with some down time. God bless. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LindaG...There are times when conversing with the pets is preferable to talking with people. :)
      It is getting more difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to the news. Sometimes I just need to tune much of it out in order to stay reltively sane! Take care.

      Delete
  2. No nights on the town as long as the virus is creeping around, eh Vicki?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nope, no wild nights on the town, Gorges...These days that's too much like work. :)

      Delete
  3. It seems you will be too busy to worry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda...Yup - it does help to stay busy - no time to worry is most times a good thing.

      Delete
  4. All quite around here too. Until MN other favorite season starts..Road Construction. Its going to get ugly out in my neck of the woods. Besides Cokato, both Annandale and Hutchinson will be having major road work done..

    BTW at our level of experience in life, Everybody thinks we lost our marbles years ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rob...Quiet is good. The less drama in my life, the better. Road construction is a pain, but I guess without it, we would be living in 'pothole city.'
      Now and then my mind goes on vacation and leaves me here all by myself. That's not necessarily a bad thing. :)

      Delete
  5. There sees to be two seasons here as well:Rainy season and Road Construction. Enjoy your time canning and with Bella.
    Cheers, SJ in Vancouver BC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SJ...I think I might take your seasons over our blizzard season and tornado season. :)
      I'm looking forward to canning the relish/slaw, as it is one of my most favorite items to have on my shelves. And Bella is a hoot - I will be sorry to see her go home.

      Delete
  6. I am on information overload with the news too and need to take a break.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One Family...Sometimes we need to keep an eye on the headlines so we aren't blindsided by what is happening around us, but it is necessary to concentrate on the good stuff, too. :)

      Delete
  7. Vicki~ My Husband loves slaw and kraut. Me, not so much. We juiced another 20 pounds of lemons. Rec'd a seed order from Baker Creek for planting. He said the purple carrots he'll plant and I can eat them or give them away. I'll be making strawberry preserves this weekend. Our Son called tonight. He had been sent to Costco to get things that are not available. Well they are, just not the brands his Mom-in-Law wants. Life is strange these days and I know being flexible will see a person through tough times. That and a WHOLE BOAT LOAD OF PRAYER. Red

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Red...You must have enough lemon juice for the entire county by now. :)
      Purple carrots! Great! My Dad grew purple potatoes once. I can't remember how they tasted. Dad loved to grow something different every year. So did I.
      I guess I will find out tomorrow when my groceries are delivered, whether the big grocery store is out of stuff. I ordered lots of vitamins and over the counter cold/flu remedies. And TP. :)
      You are spot on about life being strange these days. And I whole heartedly agree about the prayer. Take care.

      Delete