Ode to a Ramble

There has been very little going on here in my little slice of heaven.  It is quiet - way too quiet - in my neighborhood.  The sound of another voice has me scurrying to a window to get a glimpse of another human being.  I am told there are a couple of small shops in town that are finally open.  The bicycle shop beneath my apartment is open a few days per week now.  Our governor is dragging his feet on opening Minnesota up for business.  There is an effort afoot to have him recalled.  Minnesotans want to work.

Those of us who prepare usually have a plan.  We know what we would like to have on hand for a given period of time and we work toward that goal.  Sometimes we find the need to be flexible.

I have 12 lbs. of hamburger in the freezer.  I have another 12 lbs. in the fridge.  The plan was to brown all of it and can it.  Until I noticed that I could maybe get half a dozen jars on my shelves.  They are that full.  So - change of plans.  Tomorrow I will be making meatloaves, meatballs and taco meat.  Once cooked and cooled down, they will be vacuum sealed and stashed in the freezer.  The only thing I will be canning for a while is some venison that has been frozen.  Duane and I have had a couple of meals of venison, but we both like it canned, so canned it shall be.  There isn't a lot of it so I think I can find room for a few jars on the shelf.  Maybe.

My youngest son orders beef every year from a farmer he knows.  The price is reasonable, even with the processing at a local butchers.  So I have ordered a quarter beef for this fall.  I like the idea of supporting local buinesses.  The plan is to fill in with pork and chicken as it goes on sale at the grocery where my delivery service shops.

My boys are planning an excursion to Sam's Cub in the not too distant future.  They won't let me go.  When I was exposed to the virus, Duane was checking up on me often and David was calling every day wanting to know what my temperature was.  No way will they take me to a big box store full of people.  Just as well, I suppose.  But it grates on me to have to admit that I am in the 'elderly and vulnerable' catagory.  Sigh.

However, I am going through Sam's website and making a list.  The plan is to break down the large containers of frozen food and vacuum seal individual portions. And I trust them both to make good choices as to what I would like to have.  Bless all four of my kids.  They always come through when I need something done.

That's about all I know today.  I truly hope you all are able to be out and about enjoying some sort of normalcy.  We so badly need to just get on with our lives.