Saturday, October 24, 2020

No Drama Here

This is my quiet time this year.  Everywhere I look around me, there is drama.  Some of it has to do with the upcoming elections.  Some of it has to do with the virus.  Our bonehead of a governor seems determined to keep all of us fearful at least until the election.  To listen to his reports, you would think the streets were littered with bodies.

Here in my little apartment, I prefer to stay as drama free as possible.  I still check the news so I can keep track what the enemy is up to, but my life goes on no matter what the current insanity is.

I was happily surprised to receive my grocery order this past Thursday in full with no substitutions.  That hasn't been the case for the past couple of months.  Since then I have dehydrated 6 lbs. of frozen corn and 6 bunches of celery.  The dry goods I ordered - sugar, flour, pancake mix, etc. - have been transferred to Ziploc bags and stashed away.  I have never had a problem with bugs or rodents here, but knowing that both like cardboard and paper packaging, I find that putting the food into Ziplocs and then into buckets or tubs insures it stays that way.

The canning is on 'hold' until the middle of November when my beef is ready and when, with any kind of luck, Youngest Son will have some venison for me and his brother.  Whenever he has a successful hunt, he shares with us.  We enjoy some venison fresh and I can the rest.

As many of you who come here often know, I have Home Healthcare Nurses who come in three times a week to treat my legs.  They are doing a bang-up job, for I have gone from having several open, draining wounds to having none at all for a long time now.  Anyway, my favorite nurse, Caroline, brought me a gift last week.  Her sister had a garage sale where she sold lots of fabric.  Knowing that I sew, Caroline brought me what was left from the sale and wouldn't let me pay a dime for any of it.  There are three pieces of nice, plaid flannel and two pieces of pretty cotton print, each being three yards in length.  I am not sure what to use the cotton print for yet, but I think the flannel will make some nice, cozy pajama pants, or as the more sophisticated than I call them - loungewear.  Bless her heart for thinking of me with such a nice and useful gift!

Sometimes I am not completely pleased with being housebound, but this week I am grateful that I don't need to stick my nose outside.  We are having record breaking cold for this time of year in my part of Minnesota, accompanied by about 7 inches of snow earlier in the week.  The local news reported over 700 vehicles involved in fender benders or sliding off the roads into the ditches. 

Times like these make me especially glad to be a prepper.  I sipped a cup of coffee and watched the snow come down, knowing I already have everything I need right here to weather the storm.

Keep on prepping! 


    

21 comments:

  1. Watching the snow from a place of warmth sure beats having to work in it. I wonder if you ever tell them "no subs," or if their choices are always usable. I'm glad that your legs are improved.

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    1. Gorges...Having had to deal with snow and cold more years than I like to think about, it is a pure pleasure to have the luxury of watching snow fall from inside my window.
      The service I use for groceries is good to work with me. I can either allow subs or decline them, product by product. Most times, with few exceptions, I would rather they substitute than get no product at all.
      Thanks for the comment on the condition of my legs, Gorges. I know you have suffered something similar, so you know what a blessing it is to be wound free. Bless those who keep it so for me.

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  2. And if you add a french accent to the word loungewear it's so much better!

    I sewed a set of flannel top sheets and pillowcases for the pair of "in their late sixties" children who live in our house.

    My side is pirates and her side is princesses.
    The previous set were Star Wars and Hello Kitty.

    We are hoping that snow is still a long ways out from today.

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    1. John...I suppose the French accent also applies when we refer to underwear as lingerie. I don't know for sure. I'm just not quite that classy. :)

      I absolutely love your choices in bed sheets and pillowcases! This 74 year old refuses to completely become an adult. So for my 50th birthday I bought myself a Mickey Mouse T-shirt and a pair of red high-top sneakers. Dad always told me he would be disappointed if I ever really grew up and I never wanted to disappoint him.

      Before this, the earliest snow in my memory was a Halloween blizzard many years ago. I truly hope your Fall lasts longer than did ours.

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    1. Thank you, sbrgirl...In these times of craziness, I think we need to sometimes just let the outside world do what it will without us. Spending time doing what we love to do renews the spirit.

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  4. I love that you got the free material to sew something. I used to sew a lot and loved it. When my kids were small I sewed some fancy stuff for them. the last thing I sewed was a tote with lots of pockets. However I was using up a large piece of quilted material that was way too thick (I should have known) and ended up getting rid of the bag. we live in northern Wisc and had a 30 inch snowfall (yes 30) 2 Aprils ago. it turned out my great granddaughter was born that day. They live out here near us and my grandson did a marvelous job getting his wife to the hospital in time--barely. He has a large work truck or wouldn't have made it thru all the blowing snow and drifted piles on these back roads.

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    1. Ann...I am amazed that my favorite nurse even remembered that I enjoy sewing. What she brought me was a lovely gift, especially considering the price of fabric today.
      Like you, when my kids were young I sewed clothes for them as well as for myself. These days I sew mostly quilt tops, but it is kind of exciting to work on sewing clothes again.
      Having lived in northern MN for a number of years, I know about heavy snows and drifted roads. Living 25 miles from the closest town and out on back roads, being snowed in was nothing unusual after a winter storm. Driving under those conditions with a wife about to give birth is no easy task and not for the faint of heart. A marvelous job indeed!!

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  5. Dear Vicki, you have yourself a great little nest and view of the oh so cold, snowy world beyond. With your food supply, wonderful healthcare, and more fabric to sew you are set, my Friend! Keep on prepping and stay drama free...CW

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  6. CW...My life style would probably bore many to tears, but I rather like it. I can not control all the drama outside of my little apartment, but I can keep it at bay when I want to. Today is one of those days. :)
    Take good care, my friend!

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  7. Good reminder to repackage some things like my pancake mix. Thanks as always.
    Stay cozy and away from the crazies.
    Cheers, SJ in Vancouver BC Canad

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    1. SJ...The repackaging will continue for a day or two. It sort of piles up sometimes. As for the crazies - they are on their own. I refuse to even acknowledge them this week. :)
      Take care.

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  8. Good morning Vicki~ I hope this day finds you well. It is a blessing when a health issue clears up with the right care. Also a blessing when someone brings a gift you can use.

    The wind is blowing here and the indoor temp was 65. The heater is now lit and the temp is coming up. 5 pounds of organic carrots are done drying. Rice, Sugar, Noodles, Beans, Masa and Flour have been packed away.The Delivery Guys are trying to keep up. One of the regular delivery drivers asked if I knew where he could find certain food items. I gave him a printed sheet with the links.

    Keep preparing for whatever may come.
    In God's Safekeeping Red

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    1. Good to hear from you, Red...

      Today finds me very well and grateful for the many blessings that have come my way.

      We are having record breaking cold for this time of year, but the weather guessers tell us it will warm up some by the end of the week.

      Today I am repackaging oatmeal, flour, sugar and pancake mix to be stored away. Six bunches of celery are dry and after putting the root ends in water a couple of days ago, I see tiny celery shoots growing from most of them. Don't know if it will amount to anything, but it is fun to try.

      You must have nearly reached the rafters by now with your storage! Good on you! Your delivery guy asking about where to get some food items makes me wonder if there aren't more people now thinking that some sort of preparing isn't such a dumb idea after all. I hope so.

      Take good care, my friend, and keep stacking it up. Lord only knows what our future looks like.

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  9. I reread the post to see if I'd missed something.
    I'd read what you said about trying to be drama free.
    But then I wondered why dramamine is a drug that helps with motion sickness, and shouldn't drama mine be a place where the seven dwarfs work to dig up drama. Just saying!

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    1. John...I love the way your mind works. But what really scares me is that I completely understood every word - even the seven dwarfs bit! Thanks for giving me a good laugh this morning.

      You know, of course, that I will have "Hi ho. Hi ho. It's off to work we go." stuck in my head all day. :)

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  10. i am asking God for a long moderate autumn
    cannot shovel snow at my age

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    1. I join you in that prayer, deb. Thankfully, I don't have to shovel snow any more, but feel sorry for those who do.

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  11. No changes for us. Luckily all the summer road work is done. Keeping on eye on Tuesday, but nervous as anyone can be. I read some internet comments about what everyone thinks will happen. Everyone, everyone, knows the left will lose their shit. Stay Safe..

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    1. Rob...Things stay the same here as well. I have everything I need to just wait out the crazies. Stay safe, my friend.

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  12. Well kids, here we go! Thank you for sharing so much knowledge via your blog, Vicki! Take care!Robin

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