when little or nothing has been accomplished. I have been a little bit under the weather. Not sick, really. Just kind of tired. I have been napping more than usual but I finally am feeling more awake. I managed to cook and wash dishes and do some laundry, but that has been the extent of my ambition the last few days. On the Up Side, my legs are healing nicely. I didn't have to bandage the right leg this week and the left one is nearly healed as well. I would do a happy dance, but chances are pretty good that I would do myself a mischief if I tried.
It is fun having one of my kids living next door. Oldest Son popped in to see how I was doing. And to plunder my shelves of home canned food. He said he was making beef stew for their supper this evening and wanted to know if I would like some. Answering like a true Minnesotan I said, "Yeah, sure. You betcha!" Said I would trade a bowl of stew for a mess of baking powder biscuits. I think I am getting the better of that deal.
I finally had to turn the heat on here in my little apartment, just to take the chill off. The forecast this week is for temps in the 60's during the days and in the 40's at night. Won't be long before the trees down by the river will be a blaze of color. The Farmer's Almanac is predicting an average fall through October, but after that we can expect a colder than normal winter with lots of snow. I think I will ask Son to get me another 100 lbs. of flour and maybe 50 lbs. of sugar from Sam's. Now that I am back to baking bread, I don't want to be running out of flour. There are only a couple more items I need to stock and I will be ready for winter. When the temps are below zero and the snow is blowing, nobody needs to be going out to the store. That's what deep pantries are for.
So I am off to catch up on everything I let slide this past week. Ah, well. At least I will be too busy to find any mischief. I may be old, but I'm not dead - yet. Mischief is still occasionally a distinct possibility. :)
Opus 2024-399: Unraveling Mysteries
1 hour ago
you might need b12 shots and d3 supplements.
ReplyDeletei always tell tired people this because that's what i need myself!
try to get some sun everyday, always on the same body part.
activates the vit. d3.
You doing a happy dance put a smile on my face. Glad to hear the legs are on the mend.
ReplyDeleteOur weather forecast is the same this week as for temperatures. The leaves, however, have already started falling. And rain is forecast for the end of the week which will bring more down.
I've had a tough week as well. Dog has been sick so have lost a little sleep. More test results are back this week so I'll know more what I'm dealing with.
Funny about your Sam's order. I like having 3X10kg each flour and sugar on hand. Anything less and I'm watching for sales. HA! I found some gamma lids on the Costco website that I ordered. Makes getting into my buckets so much easier.
Cheers, SJ in Vancouver BC
You must plan on baking a lot of bread for that amount of flour not to go rancid, unless you freeze it.
ReplyDeleteAh yes with the set in of fall, its time to sleep more...LOL. Walked outside this am 49. Maybe this weekend we can do another campfire before we are butt deep in flour..LOL. Oh Shopko here has those December trees in already....Yes I said flour and December trees I'm not that crazy....to say those dirty words.
ReplyDeleteThanks, deborah...You always come up with solutions to problems. It is greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteSJ...The thought of me doing any kind of dance these days is a scary proposition. Maybe a slow waltz, but that's about all!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that your dog has been sick. It is so hard with animals - they just can't really tell you where it hurts. Hope the tests will show what is needed to make him better. I pray for animals, too.
I am down to two buckets of flour - about 50 lbs. That's never going to last over the winter. I like to have at least 150 lbs. of flour and 50 lbs. of sugar - more if I am canning fruit. I don't store brown sugar any more, but make my own by mixing 1 tablespoon of molasses per 1 cup of sugar, as needed. I usually mix up enough at one time to fill a one gallon container. So I may get an extra 25 lb. bag of sugar, too.
I need to get some of the gamma lids as well. I have only two buckets with lids that come off easily and the gamma lids would surely make life easier. And would likely cut back on the swear words while trying to remove lids from buckets. :)
Gorges...I freeze flour for about a week to kill off any creepy crawlers or larvae that might be lurking within it. Then I seal it in 5-gallon buckets and store the buckets in a closet that is cool and dark. The flour I am using right now is three years old. I have never had a problem with flour turning rancid.
ReplyDeleteI do go through a lot of flour. I bake my own bread in the cooler months of the year, and now that I have the bread machine I expect to have homemade bread year around. Plus I make hamburger and hot dog buns, cinnamon rolls, etc. And cookies, cakes, etc. from scratch. Now that I think about it, I wonder if 100 lbs. of flour will be enough.:)
Rob...Thank you for sparing me the sound of those winter words. I'm not ready to even think about the sight of flour falling past my window. :)
ReplyDeleteWhatever it was that made me so tired last week seems to have departed. I was beginning to think i was going into hibernation. Which, considering our winters, is not such a bad thing. :)
I love a campfire. Especially when it involves toasted marshmallows and Smores!
Baked bread. I am envious. My mother used to bake bread with rolled oats. Great stuff.
ReplyDeleteBW...My mother used to bake a bread that had rolled oats as an ingredient too. And another one that had mashed potatoes in it. Both were delicious. But the recipes have disappeared. Still looking.
ReplyDeleteGlad your legs are on the mend! It was 33 here yesterday morning. This morning it was 51. Definitely the seasons are a-changing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chickenmom... We haven't had any frost yet, but it is much cooler. Temp this morning about 8:00 was 50 degrees. There is a small tree that grows outside my front windows and is one of the first to change color in the fall. When I see yellow leaves I know it is time to dig out the flannel shirts. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words about my dog. Yes, they can't tell us where it hurts.
ReplyDeleteAs for the gamma lids - I had the same issue with regular lids for my buckets. The air was blue every time I tried to get a bucket open. Don't know if Sam's has this, but Costco has an 'emergency foods' section on their web site. It took a bit to find but it's there, at least on their Canadian site. I think I first found the section by searching on 'mountain house' foods. Ordering a set of buckets with gamma lids was also an option. I ordered just the lids as I have plenty of buckets. Hope that helps.
Cheers, SJ in Vancouver BC
SJ...I just hope your dog will be OK. I have a very soft spot in my heart for animals, especially dogs and cats.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information about the gamma lids. Sam's has a section on their website of emergency foods, so I will check that out and have Son look next time he goes there. I have heard that Lowes also carries them. Guess I need to do a bit of research, but I definitely need to get some.
We're getting ready for winter here too, in a desultory sort of way. We do something on the list, then we pretty much just read or watch a movie the rest of the day. Maybe the shorter days are making us less energetic. Like you, I've been feeling a little sub par lately, I attribute it to the fact that it's dark here now by seven because of the mountains around us blocking out the sunlight.
ReplyDeleteHarry...I am pretty much doing things the way you two are...a couple of things on the list and then read, mostly. The shorter days have never bothered me. But this fall arthritis seems to be kicking my butt. And I find that if I am to remain relatively happy, I need to limit my intake of the Donald and Hillary Circus. Or more to the point, limit the pundits and talking heads. :)
ReplyDeleteSoon I will be busier as Son and his friend will be doing Sam's Club runs for me. 50 lbs. each of hamburger to can and onions to dehydrate are at the top of the list. Just a few more items and I will be where I want to be with the preps.
I hope this finds you well. I picked up a bread machine today at Goodwill for $7.00 A Toastmaster machine. It even makes butter...I picked up two small cartons of heavy whipping cream too. When we go major shopping this week Yest and Bread Flour are on the list. I'm going to get even fatter this winter...LOL...
ReplyDeleteRob...Good for you on finding a bread machine! I really like mine. I haven't used it to bake bread yet, but it really makes stirring up the dough and kneading it so much easier. Guess we can get fat together, although homemade bread has got to be healthier than the store bread. Have fun! :)
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