Sunday, March 6, 2022

Bits and Pieces

 It has been a strange day here in Minnesota.  A normal March includes a blizzard.  Today we had heavy rain, complete with thunder.  The rain turned to ice after dark and then it snowed on top of the ice.  Warm, sunny beaches are looking good about now.

But instead of heading to the tropics, I will be canning turkey.  My grocery order goes in Monday for Thursday delivery.  The sale ad featured whole turkeys at 99 cents per pound.  Turkey wasn't that cheap even at Thanksgiving or Christmas.  There is a limit of two and because my freezer is full to the brim, the turkey will go into jars.

I am finally able to move about on the knee I popped last week.  Thank you all for your prayers.  But because I spent several days babying the injured knee, I have some catching up to do.  So between now and Thursday grocery delivery, things need to be scrubbed and dusted and all that kind of exciting stuff,  Sigh.

But even with all of that, there is still some fun to be had.  I am probably the only person in western civilization who doesn't own a cell phone.  So my son gave me an iPad.  I can now send and recieve texts and I can FaceTime with my family.  Now nearly every day I get a photo from my son of his dog, Oreo, a black and white Aussiedoodle.  I now know that she lugs around a purple hippo toy and she sits on a bench in my sons home office and watches the world go by.  And I have a video of her at the dog park, sniffing squirrel tracks and doing zoomies.  She gives me a smile a day.  :)

I have always enjoyed phone calls from my kids and grands, but it is even more fun to see their smiling faces.  I now know that grandson eats cheese crackers doused in hot sauce and granddaughter likes homemade malts.  And their sister gave me a tour of the neighborhood where she lives while attending college.  I really am having fun wth this!  

On a more serious note, I am not sure what to make of the Russia - Ukraine thing.  The truth seems to be a scarce commodity.  Some are showing horrifying pictures and videos claiming to have been taken in the middle of battle, only to be proven to be from years ago.  Others tell us to get ready for nuclear war.  I can't change anything about the situation, so I think I will just wait and see what happens and continue on as I always do.

One thing I do know for certain is that prices of goods and services are not going down any time soon.  And some of the reports I have heard about farmers having to pay huge prices for fertilizer this year if they can get it all, and that fuel prices are getting to the point of being totally out of reach for many, tell me that there is the possibility of grain shortages.  Whatever I buy today will cost less than it will tomorrow.  

Last night I opened a jar of chicken breast that I had canned 5 years ago when I paid 99 cents a pound on sale.  The same chicken is now over $7 per pound.  Who knows what the cost will be in a year.  Even if we are paying more than we did before, it still is a good plan to stock up as much as possible.

I can't change it.  But I can be as ready as is possible for whatever 'it' is.

23 comments:

  1. Glad to hear your knee is improving. I do think having the technology to face time and text is such a great way to stay connected. My dd and I text all throughout the day, every day.

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    1. Thanks, One Family...I am moving slowly, but then I moved slowly before I popped the knee. :)
      I am living proof that you can teach old dogs new tricks. I am enjoying this new to me technology.

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  2. I'm in a squeeze play here in the Wild, Wild West, Vicki. My freezers are full. Now Edison raised the electric rates in its pursuit... and inability ti find... "green energy." My bill is up $100.00/month for the last three months! This keeps up, and it'll be MUCH cheaper to buy a new Mercedes than to freeze my meat... And I'm NOT exaggerating!

    Gas was at $5.00/gallon yesterday. It's $5.10 today at the same station.

    The price of everything else will go up within a few days.

    Hang on. It's going to be a wild ride...

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    1. Everything has gone all wonky, hasn't it!! I am blessed in that my utilities are included in my rent. Our governor is certifiably nuts, but at least he isn't pushing the 'green new deal' quite as strongly as yours is. That might be because solar panels don't work real well under ice and snow.

      Gas prices here are averaging $3.79 per gallon today. Tomorrow is anybody's guess.

      Grocery prices keep moving skyward. So when I find a good sale on meat, I grab it. Don't know how much longer I can do that as canning supplies have become as scarce as hen's teeth.

      Bumpy ride ahead, I fear.

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    2. Vicki, a while back you told us you canned beans. You said you put the beans in dry and added a bullion cube. Question; how much water should cover the beans when the jar is full? Also, will this work for Pinto and black beans?

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    3. Pete...I used a bouillon cube when canning soup. I have also canned plain beans, Great Northern or Pinto, and pork and beans. Here are both the recipes I used. They came from Jackie Clay.

      Canning Dry Beans

      Dry beans are very handy, canned up, as you don’t have to soak them overnight or cook them for lengthy periods to eat them. All dry beans are canned the same way. I first boil my dry beans in plenty of water and let them sit for 2 hours. Then I pack them and process them as usual. This means heat the beans and liquid to boiling, then drain, saving liquid. Pack jars 3/4 full with hot beans, add small pieces of fried lean bacon or ham, if desired, then fill with hot cooking liquid, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Process pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes.
      ===================

      Easy Canned Beans

      2 lbs. of dried Navy Beans
      Sauce:
      6 cups water
      1 cup Molasses
      1 cup Brown Sugar
      2 tsp. Ground Mustard
      1 Tbsp. Salt

      Directions:
      Put dried beans in a large dutch oven or kettle and cover well with water.

      Bring to a boil and cook for 1 hour. Keep water level deep enough to keep the beans covered.
      Turn off heat and let soak for 2 hours.

      Drain and rinse the beans in a colander.

      Divide the beans into canning jars filling the jars about 2/3 full of the beans.

      Sauce:

      Mix all ingredients together and heat well to dissolve the molasses & brown sugar.
      Pour over the beans in the jars, leaving 1 inch head space below the jar rims.

      With a damp cloth, carefully wipe the jar rims to be certain no sauce is left on the rim.

      Place a flat lid that has been warmed up in water on each jar & place on a ring.

      The jars are processed in a pressure canner. Check your canner's directions for specific instructions concerning the amount of pressure you need for your altitude.

      Pint jars are processed for 65 minutes.
      Quart jars are processed for 75 minutes.

      This recipe will make about 20 pints of beans.

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    4. PS - Pete...After thinking about it, I remembered that I had at one time canned beans by using dry beans, water and bouillon. I don't remember the measurements as I deleted the instructions when I found I liked the way the beans turned out much better using Jackie's methods.
      Of all the things I ever lost, I miss my memory the most. :)

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    5. Thanx, Vicki... AS for me, it's my mind I miss the most... God bless!

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  3. weather here ne ohio is balmy today but more ice snow and freezing forecast said to be good weather for maple syruping
    as to uke-rus just pray
    we will never know the truth unless God reveals at last day, when we won't care about anything but hugging Jesus
    gas here 3.89 yesterday expect to see higher prices from now on
    as with the israelites, a nation has to suffer before they have the sense to return to God
    considering the corruption and sin rampant nowadays i expect the suffering to be severe
    when you ask the devil in suffering is the outcome his pleasure is causing suffering
    like cutting off your nose to spite your face

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    1. We can't stop those who wish to control us. But God can. Pray and prepare.

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  4. Hi Vicki....2nd person in civilization here who doesn't own a cell phone and never intends to own one! When I worked as a nurse 11 yrs. ago I had to carry 2 cells, 2 beepers, and 1 emergency Code6 button!! When I retired I swore I'd never be "connected" like that again!! Now I have an 11 yr. old laptop which runs like a top...that's all. Just pray it never dies...the thought of breaking in a new Windows system gives me a headache...LOL! My older sister has an Ipad and loves it too...that might be an option for me if my old laptop kicks the bucket...maybe??

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    1. Looks like I am in good company with the lack of a cell phone. :) I use my desk top computer for most everything. But the iPad is really nice for text messaging and for seeing my families smiling faces. I'm having fun with that!

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  5. Praise God and God bless you all, Vicki.

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    1. And the very same to you and yours, Linda G.

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  6. Glad to hear your knee is on the mend! Yep, lots of praying, canning, dehydrating, and vacuum sealing going on here. I'm starting tomato seeds today.

    Do you by any chance know if Frank and Fern are okay? I'm not trying to be a nibby-nose, but it's been a really long time since they've posted.

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    1. Thanks, sbrgirl...Walking is much easier now. :)
      I am in the same prep mode as you. Will be doing some canning and dehydrating after my grocery order arrives. Seems I am always praying.

      I don't know what happened to Frank and Fern either. I wonder if they decided to go 'gray man.' Their email is listed on their blog and I think I will email them. It has been a year since they posted. Hope they are OK.

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    2. i understand that f&f decided to go grey

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    3. I believe that is the case, deb.

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    4. I thought that might be the case -- thanks for checking.

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  7. Gas here in western BC Canada is now $2.099 per liter. So nearly $8.40 per gallon - doesn't matter that it's Canadian dollars imo.
    Went to the grocery store to top up on rice and beans, literally.
    stay safe everyone.
    SJ in Vancouver BC Canada

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    1. SJ...I was told that gas here is at $3.99 per gallon as of this morning. Anyone who pays attention is stocking up these days. Can't go wrong with rice and beans!

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