Friday, April 17, 2020

Good Day, Fellow Inmates

I know I live like this all the time, but even so, this whole 'shelter in place' thing is getting really old.  I see my oldest son and I am glad of it, but I have three more kids that I can't hug.  To say nothing of grandkid hugs. 

You know it is getting bad when the highlight of my week is a warmer day when I can open a window next to my dehydrator and dry some onions.  When you live in an apartment building, you need to be mindful of your neighbors.  Not everyone is pleased with the smell of drying onions.  Nevertheless, tomorrow is the day.  I am excited!

The construction of an apartment building across the street continues.  The workers don't seem to be too concerned about masks and social distancing.  They are just busy doing the job they were hired to do.  It is good to see the work continue.  There are so very many that wish they could do their jobs as well.

Our governor has opened golf courses, marinas and parks, but no camping and no picnics.  We are now allowed to go fishing as long as we fish in a body of water close to home.  If your fishing rod breaks, good luck.  No opening of sporting goods stores.

Minnesotans are getting cranky.  There have been protests outside the governor's mansion, with more planned.  There are many who worry more about being able to feed their families while unemployed than worry about catching the virus.

Me...I baked two loaves of banana bread, one of which just left my apartment with my son.  I will continue to add to my food storage as much as is possible.  There are quilts to sew and afghans to crochet and books to read.  And I will continue to pray that the light at the end of this tunnel is not a freight train headed our way.

23 comments:

  1. Bake banana bread while dehydrating onions. That way people might not complain.

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    1. Linda...I wish I had thought of that! Maybe I will have to bake something tomorrow to override the onion smell. Any excuse for goodies will do. :)

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  2. Vicki, I heard that President Trump sent out a tweet "Liberate Minnesota"! Now that is funny! I will say a prayer, but even God is having a hard time convincing all of the Democrat governors to set their people free.

    Enjoy your weekend, the open windows, and the banana bread! CW



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    1. CW...That Tweet was classic Trump! I think our governor is going to drag this whole thing out as long as possible for the most political points he thinks he will gain. The part I liked was when the protestors didn't go to the capitol building. They went to the governor's house!

      I did have open windows and banana bread today. Doesn't get much better than that. :)

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  3. You know me, Vicki; I think it's all part of the plan. Enjoy your onions! - lol

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    1. I wouldn't be surprised if you are right, Gorges. I will be enjoying the onions. It remains to be seen as to whether the neighbors enjoy the smell. :)

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    1. Hope you and yours are doing alright, LindaG!

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  5. Our shut down (Wisconsin ) has been extended until the end of May

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    1. Sorry to hear that, Ann...I was ticked when our gov. extended house arrest until the middle of May. You have my sympathy!

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  6. Good morning Vicki. I've discovered that drying onions is an art and preparation is everything. Some of my onions dried in a few hours. Other onions were still damp and crisp. Next time I will be pulling them apart more when laying them in the trays. I dried more apples and veggies for storage. Also should have listed to that voice when it came to getting another freezer a month ago. There are none to be had until late June. Out of Stock or Back Ordered is all I see on various sites. My Husband said we have enough food. I said I wanted meat for the second freezer since it will be hard to come by for us regular folks. The garden is doing well. Planted the sweet potato slips and the potatoes are doing well. I have too many tomato plants and will be checking with the church around the corner if they want them as many of my neighbors already have gardens. As to some of the PTB, I surmise pitchforks and torches will be in their future. Strange hearing Gov. Whitmer saying she was saving lives with the lock down and abortions are essential services whereas heart surgery is not. Lord Please Deliver US From Evil Doers. May their Penance and Atonement be Rigorous and Educational. In God's Safekeeping Red

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    1. Red...I had problems drying onions when I sliced them. Now I use my food chopper that cuts them into 1/2 inch pieces and they dry much better and more uniformly. I need more apples too, but the prices in the store are over the top. Yet I am reluctant to wait until the fall when the orchards are open. Thing is, who knows if anything will be available later in the year. I may have to pay the price to get what I need now.

      I think many of us wish we had bought what we need earlier. With so much of the country shut down, it is anybody's guess when any kind of manufacturing will start up again.

      Glad to hear your garden is doing well. I think we will need every last bean by the time this is over.

      The protests are going strong here. No pitchforks yet, but unless something happens soon to get people back to work, I expect to see them. Here in Minnesota, the protestors aren't bothering to go to the capitol building. They are protesting in the governor's front yard. Which is probably why he opened up some outdoor activities. Thing is, most folks I know who had their jobs taken away can not afford a round of golf or a day of boating on the lakes. They need to go back to work.

      People like Whitmer haven't a clue about how the rest of us live. I would like to see them try to make it on less than half pay as my son has been doing or see them try to live on my income. In my three room apartment. A pox on them all. There was a time when Evil hid in the shadows. Now it seems it is center stage in the spotlight. God help us all.

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  7. On a similar note as Red and another freezer- my inner voice was telling me to buy more flour in January and I didn't. Whoops.

    I was on a day pass today and stepped outside my apartment door to garden. Planted a few things then wondered around the property. Everyone who has a veggie garden plot here has started already. Most people don't start gardening here until midMay.
    Still no flour in my grocery delivery order. And no canning lids either. I received substitutions for other items but at least got something similar.
    Take care, SJ in Vancouver BC Canada

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    1. SJ...Funny how different areas have different shortages. You can't get flour, but I have been regularly getting 10 lbs. every two weeks. Same with sugar. But if I wanted a can of soup or sliced peaches, I would be out of luck. I am noticing more substitutions in my orders as well.

      Thanks for the reminder about canning lids. I need to add them to next weeks grocery order. It will be interesting to see what items are still available. I had to chuckle when I read an article about some folks trying to return vast amounts of TP and store managers were refusing to do the refunds. Guess some discovered TP isn't a very good substitute for bread. :)

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  8. As part of a certain party's use of this "crisis" to jam its agenda down our throats, our "governor" is planning on handing every illegal alien in the state $500.00! Notice; citizens of this state get NOTHING from the state! Talk about THEFT of taxpayer funds! Millions of citizens and legal residents are out of work, and Nanny Newsom is ENCOURAGING illegal aliens to remain in the state! My prayer is that the backlash will begin here soon, and that this guy will feel the kick of the recall boot!

    We continue to persevere. We continue to maintain the larder at "full." We continue to prep. With meatpacking plants and produce farmers shutting down and plowing under, the "food" end of thins thing may very well get worse before improving.

    God bless you and yours, Vicki!

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    1. I surmise his days are numbered. He supposedly asked CV Central for a TRILLION $$$$$ loan to cover the shortfalls for various accounts and was turned down. It is really really ILLEGAL to do that but that's never stopped some from doing what they want. I'm more worried about the Oroville Dam breaking. The amount of $$$$ Used for repairs could have built a new Dam.
      The Days of Reckoning are coming for many.
      Red

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    2. Pete...There are times when it is a shame that miscreants are no longer tarred and feathered. It is astounding what lengths those people will go to in order to try to win an election. I'm thinking they want us to suffer as much as possible, thinking we will blame the Pres. and change our vote. I'm guessing that strategy might just blow up in their faces. By the way, I believe I read somewhere that your gov. is related to Pelosi - nephew, maybe? That in itself might explain a lot.

      You are spot on about the food situation getting worse before it gets any better. As with you, the prepping continues here. So far, everyone here is alive and well. I pray for the same for you and yours.

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  9. Minnesotans are getting cranky?? Sorry we ARE PAST CRANKY....And that is being very Minnesota nice stopping there.

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    1. Rob...I like the part where the protestors didn't bother gathering at the capitol building. They went right to Walz's front lawn - where he lives. If he doesn't end this foolishness pretty soon, I expect to see torches and pitchforks! Minnesota Nice only lasts so long and then Katie bar the door!

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  10. You can find regular mouth canning lids her in North Idaho but no one has wide lids.

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    1. T...A few weeks the big box store here had both, but the way things are, who knows if they are still available. I going to order both anyway and cross my fingers for luck. :)


















































































































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  11. I’ve been stocking upon them for some time but if we continue to have a shortage they will only last so long.
    When I was a young bride I thought I only wanted wide mouth jars because they were easy to fill and clean. My husband’s grandmother, who taught me many things, told me not to only have one size of jar because you never know when you might not be able to get lids for them. Wise words. Back then, mid 70’s, there were the regular, wide, and 63’s. The 63’s have gone the way of the dodo.
    Guess I had better get on building that solar dryer I’ve been thinking about.

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    1. T...Grandma was a wise woman. I admit to overlooking stocking up on lids when I should have been. Some say you can re-use lids once, but I have never been comfortable trying that. Because I live in a downtown apartment with no garden space, I have to buy everything I can and groceries are too expensive to risk using old lids. I do have a couple of boxes of the plastic lids with the rubber seals, but I would rather stay within my comfort zone with the metal lids.

      I have seen a couple of videos about solar dryers. Reminded me of how, back in the day, some would dry food using old window screens set up in the sunlight, with another screen on top to keep bugs off the food. Building a solar would be an improvement on screens. :)

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