Sometimes...

there is a need to just stop and smell the roses.  Or the coffee, if you prefer.

This year we seem to have our noses buried in the thorns rather than the flowers.  

There was a time when the news was about the everyday events in our neighborhoods, our country, the world.  Now it seems we have two choices - elections or virus.

Considering that both topics are all about controlling the population, I find myself weary of both.  

Those who are more concerned with their own power and ill gotten wealth care for nothing else.  We The People are just a pesky inconvenience to them.  They wouldn't know Truth if it bit them on the bum.  

There was a time when we stood a chance of voting them out.  Given the rampant fraud of the last election, I doubt that is possible any more.  And even if it were possible, the elite have succeeded in dividing us as a nation.  When we lived in a time where we were united in fighting evil, there was nothing we could not accomplish.  Sadly, those days as well as many of our God given Constitutional rights are behind us.

So what do we do?

Me...I have handed the whole shebang over to God, for He is the only one who can give us Justice and set us free from the Slavery that lurks just around the next corner.

And although the Powers That Be wish to control every aspect of my life, I refuse to give up my Soul.  I have heard it said that the very best revenge on those who would wish us to be miserable, is to live life to the fullest.  So I continue to do the things that make me happy.  And I continue to prepare for whatever curve ball those scum of the earth decide to throw at us.  

So to all those greedy, power hungry, miserable excuses for human beings, you can just go pound sand.  For We The People have something you will never have.  We have love for our country.   We have the love of family.  We have the capacity to truly care about our fellow man.  

And we have an Ace in the Hole.  Remember how you banned prayer from our schools?  And insisted that Nativity scenes be removed from the public square?  And you closed the churches based on a lie?  And all the other things you did that are against His Commandments?

We might not be able to fix everything you have wrecked in our beloved nation, but I sure would not want to be in your shoes come Judgement Day.  

A White Christmas

Looking out my window a few minutes ago, I saw snow falling like mad and the wind is howling.  A blizzard has been predicted for my area and it seems to have arrived right on schedule.  Those wishing for a white Christmas are getting it in spades!

My little apartment stays cozy.  My oldest son who lives in this building will be here for Christmas dinner.  He says he has a cheesecake for dessert.  I am grateful that we don't need to travel any further than down the hall.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who stop by regularly to read and comment.  Without you, this little venture of mine would be pointless.  You make this space feel more like a gathering of friends than just a blog, and for that I am truly grateful and blessed.

May each and every one of you enjoy a Merry Christmas and the hope for a better New Year.

God bless you all.

Vicki 

Canning Stew Vegetables

Times past I have canned beef stew.  I am down to just a few quarts of stew, so it was time to can more.

I did things a bit differently this time.  Instead of adding beef cubes to the jars, I canned just the vegetables.

My grocery order last week included 6 lbs. of carrots, 4 lbs. of onions and 10 lbs. of potatoes.  The vegetables were peeled, sliced and diced.  I wish I had remembered to buy celery, but I have half pint jars of canned celery on the shelf that I can toss into the stew when I heat it.

Each quart jar got 1 cup of diced potatoes, 1 cup of sliced carrots, 1/3 cup of diced onions, 2/3 cup of crushed tomatoes and 2 beef bouillon cubes.  Water was added to within 1 inch from the top of the jar and the quarts were processed for 40 minutes at the pressure for my altitude.  Unless it is something like taco meat or chili, I don't use seasonings until I am using the canned food as there are times when seasonings can become bitter or stronger during the canning process.

The beauty of this mixture is that it can be used in several ways.  As is, it can be vegetable soup.  Add a pint of canned beef cubes and you have vegetable beef soup.  Thicken the liquid and you have beef stew to serve over biscuits or rice, or as the filling in a pot pie.  I often add a packet of beef gravy mix for extra flavor.  And having all the veggies in one jar makes it possible to make small batches of soup or stew instead of having to open several jars for the same results.

I got 14 quarts of vegetable mix.  There were leftovers, and not being one to let anything go to waste, I canned them separately.  I got 9 pints of diced potatoes, 7 half pints of diced onions and 2 half pints of carrots.  They were processed for 40 minutes, which is the longest processing time for one of the vegetables.

Now is not the time to slack off on preparing.  Our future right now is uncertain at best.  So after Christmas I think I will can something similar for chicken, omitting the tomatoes.  With power hungry bureaucrats losing their minds over a virus and promising more lockdowns, it is a good thing to have a variety of foods stored to get us through hard times.

Keep on praying and prepping!

So yesterday...

our Governor Who Would Be King decreed that we Minnesotans have been granted the privilege of dining outdoors at our favorite restaurant.  That's Outdoors.  In Minnesota.  In the middle of December.  Where yesterday's morning temperature was a balmy 7 degrees F.  Sigh.

Anyone with a small amount of common sense can see that even if the tents for dining that were used last summer were set up again and even if heaters were used, we would be hard pressed to drink a cup of coffee before it iced over.

On the bright side, there are some here in my state who have had enough.  Yesterday a list of small business owners was published.  Those business owners are opening for business in defiance of the proclamations from on high.  They are located throughout our state.  They are not merely rebellious.  They are fighting for their lives, for their businesses they have worked so hard to build, to pay their employees, to feed their families, to take care of themselves without government handouts.

Of course the bureaucrats can't have that.  We are supposed to simply comply and never question the decisions of our betters.  A couple of liquor licenses have already been pulled.  Some fines have been handed out.  But even so, more small business owners are signing on every day. 

Those who have grown a spine and have made the decision to open their businesses in spite of ridiculous government mandates, have my admiration and support.

Who says you can't fight City Hall!     

Dear Governor...

I see by the local news that you are holding another press conference to let us know what new hell you are going to put us through with your mandates and restrictions.  There are a couple of things you might want to consider before becoming even more drunk with power than you already are.

You say that your rules are for "the greater good."  I am pretty sure that sweet girl with the lovely smile and friendly manner who waits tables at the restaurant down the street isn't thinking about "the greater good" now that you have deemed her job "nonessential."  That job is essential to her when she needs to pay her rent and feed her kids.  I wonder how many meals she and many others like her skip in order to have enough food for her children to eat.  You don't look like you have missed any meals, Governor.

Then there is the fellow who has worked hard all his life to build up his small business.  He has already drained his life savings just to pay his loyal employees and keep his business afloat but very soon he will run out of time and money and his doors will close forever.  He has treated his small staff of employees like family and now he will have to let them all go, through no fault of his own.  But I'm guessing that you and those in your office are still being paid.  Paid by people like the business owner that you have put out of business.

Lets talk about the kids.  The ones whose chances of contracting the virus are slim and none.  The ones you won't allow back in school.  The ones you won't allow to play sports.  The ones you want to keep from gathering with their friends like kids are supposed to do.  The ones who are being cheated out of an education and a childhood.  Those kids.  

And then there are the elderly.  The Grandmas and Grandpas who would give anything just to hug a grandchild again.  The ones in nursing homes who don't understand why they have been abandoned.  The ones who die alone.  All because of your rules and regulations.  

I understand there is a virus going around.  I also understand it is no worse than the flu we deal with every year.  This is not about a virus.  It is about fear and control, for when a population is fearful, they are easier to control.

I am here to tell you, Governor, that some of us are not afraid.  We are mad as hell.  We are tired of being treated like children who haven't enough sense to take care of themselves.  Most of us have grown up, raised families, worked for our livings and made decisions without consulting you.  And now you think we are OK with you telling us what to wear, where we can go, what we can do.  

Perhaps it is high time you remembered, Governor, that you work for us and not the other way around.         

I meant to get back here sooner...

but I sort of got busy.

My grocery order was delivered Thursday.  It included 6 lbs. of frozen peas that turned into 25 half pint jars of canned peas.

There were 4 nice sized pork roasts that were on sale.  One went into the freezer.  The other three roasted in a slow oven all morning on Friday.  When cooled, they were shredded and on Saturday combined with 6 lbs. of frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and heated.  Each pint jar got 1/2 cup of meat and 1 cup of veggies along with a chicken bouillon cube and water.  This made 20 pints of soup.  There was leftover meat, so 3 pints of it were canned with the soup.

Finding room for food storage in a three room apartment can be a challenge, so I expect to do some serious rearranging to find space for it all.  Some might say that I have accumulated enough, but it is my opinion, especially in the uncertain days ahead, that we keep on preparing like our lives depended on it.

They just might.