We're from the government and we're here to help

The devastation from the latest hurricane is incredibly horrible.  Lives were lost.  Homes were destroyed.  Millions are without power.  In some areas there is no food - no water.  The people who live in the path of the storm have had their lives changed, and not for the good.

Our government that is supposed to take care of its citizens, especially in a time of need, is silent.  Guess who is stepping up to the plate.  Yep.  Those crazy preppers!

Pinball of "Pinball Preparedness" YouTube channel tells the story much better than I can.  Especially since he is up to his neck in trying to help those impacted by the storm.  The link below is well worth a watch.

"I'm From The Government And I'm Here To Help" - Kiss My Ass - YouTube

Minnesota doesn't have hurricanes.  Instead, we get tornadoes in the summer and blizzards in the winter.  So if our citizens have a shred of common sense left, they prepare.  Food.  Water.  A source of heat to keep us from freezing to death when a blizzard knocks out the power.  Can't do much when a tornado blows your house into the next county, but if supplies are divided and stored in a couple of places, we at least have a fighting chance for survival.

I would hope that the plight of the hurricane survivors would open the eyes of those who think it foolish to buy an extra can of beans or more bottles of water.  But I don't think I will hold my breath waiting for that to happen.  There are way too many who think those of us who prepare are nothing more than crazy conspiracy theorists. 

I will remember that when my family is eating good, stomach filling food and the naysayers are digging in dumpsters.  Mean of me?  Perhaps.  But I am totally out of patience with those who believe nothing bad will ever happen in their back yard.  I would hope this last storm might serve as a wakeup call.  Lives depend on it.

I know I don't need to remind all of you to keep stacking.  Or to keep praying.  Prayers heavenward for those poor souls affected by the storm.  May they get the help they need.

Another Day in Paradise

 Ya ever have one of those days where you might have been better off just staying in bed?

Back story:  I have two computers.  One is a desktop with a humongous monitor screen.  It has a humongous monitor screen because my Granddaughter helped my son pick it out for me and she thought Grandma would like the large screen.  She does.

The other computer is a laptop that is used mostly for genealogy related stuff and photos.  

Yesterday I managed to spill a half a glass of cherry Kool Aide all over the desktop keyboard.  Apparently, the liquid shorted something out, because the keyboard no longer works.  Can't say I am surprised!  The mouse works though, so all is not lost.

This morning, I decided to print out some genealogy related stuff.  The very first thing I did was (I really don't know how) I managed to wind up with a piece of paper stuck inside the printer.  After a considerable amount of digging around in the bowels of the printer, spiced up with one or two choice words, I managed to get the printer unstuck.  By that time, I didn't want to print anything anymore!

On to this afternoon, when I got one of those robo calls from my pharmacy telling me I have prescriptions ready to pick up.  Since I am housebound and since my kids and older grands all have jobs, I have had my meds mailed to me for the past two or three years.  But the pharmacy won't automatically stick them in the mail.  I have to call and request the service each time.

I wouldn't mind, but now time is wasted waiting for that auto call to run through the many options.  I used to be able to talk to a real person at the end of all that foolishness.  Not anymore.  Now I need to leave a message, and they promise to return my call within an hour.  It has been 8 hours and no return call.

Sigh.

Life was so much simpler when we wrote everything out by hand.  And when we could easily talk to a real person.  Anybody know where I can find a time machine that will shoot me back to the 60's?

Gonna find me a movie and go snuggle up in my recliner.  I have had all the fun I can stand for one day!  :)

This and That

Potatoes, chicken legs and pork are canned, jars washed, labeled and on the shelf.  I am amazed at the amount of peace this gives me while living in a world of chaos.

And because the era of the "spring chicken" has long since passed for me, yesterday was spent on genealogy research that is mostly done by sitting at the computer.  And quietly regaining strength.

I know that many find pouring over census, birth and death records as dry as dust, but for me it is sort of like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.  And it has the added benefit of showing the younger generations that they spring from God fearing, hardworking, salt of the earth good people, with a few rogues and reprobates thrown in for good measure!  And that is worth every minute of time spent on this endeavor.

Fall has arrived, but here in Minnesota, Mother Nature seems to have not received the memo.  Still hot.  Still humid.  I realize that "hot" in Minnesota isn't nearly like "hot" in other parts of the country.  But we are weather wimps.  We tend to melt at anything more than 80 degrees!

In between the food preservation and wading in my gene pool, I find I have several partially finished quilt tops that need my attention.  And because eventually I will see lots of snow outside my windows, I had better get busy and finish them.  Nothing better on a cold winter day than to snuggle under a warm, handmade quilt.  Each of my Grands and Great-Grands have a quilt I made.  And since finding out that there is another Great-Grand due to arrive in early Spring, I need to work on that as well.

Someone once told me that I would be bored upon retirement.  They were dead wrong.  

Keep stacking.  Keep praying.  The world around us is looking sketchy at best.  

Upcoming Canning Marathon

 Here we go!  Groceries were delivered earlier today.  Everything I ordered arrived.  I have noticed that only occasionally so far, an item ordered is out of stock.  More often there are substitutions in brands, but so far, we are not experiencing the food shortages reported elsewhere.  High prices - Yes.  Shortages - not so much.

There are 4 family packs of chicken drumsticks (68 cents per lb.) waiting to be packed into wide mouth quart jars and canned.  I use these several ways, but the best way for me is in a chicken and dumplings meal.

Seasoned pork loin was on sale - buy 1 get 2 more.  I got 6 loins total - 4 seasoned and 2 plain.  Decided to can the two plain loins as I am not sure if the seasonings in the flavored ones will can without turning bitter.  Cut the seasoned loins into meal for one sized portions and froze them, except for 2 that will be supper for me over the weekend.

I'm also going to try canning potatoes without liquid in the jars.  This is because the potatoes I canned in water a while back have turned sort of mealy and gray in color.  They might be OK, but I seriously doubt I could get anyone in my family to eat them.  Especially when I am reluctant to do so.

It is really easy to look around and decide there is enough stuff stored.  Easy to tell myself I don't have to do any more canning or dehydrating or stockpiling.  That would be a lie.

Just in case we haven't noticed, things all around us are whirling out of control at mind numbing speed.  Just this week I mentioned something that had been talked about on several news channels, to someone who was here in my home.  Their reply was that they never paid attention to any news because they didn't want to think about bad things!

So...when 'bad things' show up in her neighborhood and threaten her family, do you suppose she might just pay attention then?

Now is not the time to slack off.  Keep stacking.  Pay attention.  Keep praying!!

What's Next

They have tried to get rid of Trump.  Every way they can think of.  Including an attempt on his life and now another.  And the man is still standing.

Nobody will be able to convince me that God doesn't have a hand in keeping this man alive.

And nobody will get me to believe that evil forces are not at work across our land.  Just look around.

Now it is a matter of waiting to see what happens next.  Those in power simply can not abide anyone in control who works for the people.  Who believes that American citizens should come first. 

I talked with a friend this morning.  We agreed that if we could find a time machine that worked, we would send ourselves back in time to a place where kids could play in the park without being kidnapped, where neighbors visited over coffee and cookies on the porch of a summer evening, where it was still safe to go grocery shopping unarmed, that is if we could still afford groceries and where we could let Rover or Kitty outside without worrying they would  become someone's dinner.

My family has ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War.   They made sure their descendants could live lives free from tyranny.  I believe they would be sorely disappointed that now the fight is over which bathroom to use and which pronoun is acceptable!

Those who are still "woke" and those who reside in the land of unicorns and fairy dust where nothing bad ever happens really need to wake up.  I'm not saying that the next election has the potential to solve all of our problems.  But if we continue down the path of destruction we find ourselves on now, it is all over except the crying.

Canning to Preserve Food

 Canning is my favorite method of preserving food.  My mother taught me this skill when I was still a child and I am forever grateful.  There are those who look on this activity as a hobby, but for me, it is a lifestyle.

Many years ago, my oldest son gifted me a large Presto pressure canner big enough to hold two layers of pint jars for a total of 16 jars per load.  I couldn't begin to count how many jars of food have been run through it.  Lately and for the first time, I have run into problems.  The last couple of large loads of jars I have canned in it ended up with the jar lids on about half the jars not sealing.  

First I thought the problem might be that the newer jar lids weren't as good as the older lids.  Then I thought it might be operator error.  Turns out I need a new seal for the canner lid and there is a button on the lid that pops up when pressure is reached and drops down when pressure drops.  That button isn't working.  So I need to fix the problems.

In the meantime, I tried something new.  A couple of years ago a friend bought one of those electric instant pot appliances.  She loves it and uses it often.  So I did a little research and found information about the Nesco Digital Canner that can be used for cooking and canning.  Ordered one.  Stuck it in the closet and promptly forgot about it.  Sometimes I have the attention span of a gnat!

Dragged the Nesco from the closet and set it up on my kitchen table.  Found it would hold 4 pint jars or 4 quart jars at a time.  Canned a total of 30 pints of my 'meals in a jar.'  (More about those later.)  Every single jar lid sealed.

If you are canning for a large family, it would take forever and a day to can enough food using this appliance.  But I am finding that it works well for me.

I have physical limitations.  It is much easier to fill 4 jars at a time than it is 16 jars.  Removing 4 jars from the Nesco is easier than unloading a large pressure canner.  My pressure canner heats up my entire apartment when used in the summer.  That doesn't happen with the Nesco.  And at this stage of my life, anything that can make life a bit more tolerable is welcome.

I'm not telling you to run out and buy a Nesco.  Don't you just hate those blogs or channels that tell you to buy this widget or that gadget or you will surely die?  Not doing that.  This appliance is a bit expensive unless you find one at a garage sale or thrift shop.  Just saying it solves a couple of problems for me.  And it works!

Whatever food preservation method you use, keep at it!  The way things are going, we may need every last crumb!

She's Back

 My son was right.  He told me that my head would probably explode if I didn't have a place to vent once in a while.  I realize that most of my readers have moved on.  But for the two or three who still check in, here you go!  (Thanks, Jennifer!)

I need a home nursing service to change the wraps on my lower legs three days a week.  The wraps help keep fluid from collecting.  If fluid builds up, pretty soon it will break the skin from the inside out, resulting in infection and probable hospital stays.  I avoid that outcome at all costs.

I don't always see the same nurse.  This past couple of months I have had a new to me nurse.  Nice gal.  Does a good job.  Lives in the land of unicorns and fairy dust.

One day a couple of weeks ago, I was repackaging some pasta and rice for storage when she arrived.  She wanted to know what I was going to do with so much food.  I told her that I have a large family, and the pasta and rice was to be stored so family would not go hungry in an emergency situation.  I asked what she planned to feed her family should something bad happen.  Her answer - "Oh, they can eat peanut butter sandwiches."

Last week I did some canning.  A dozen pints of chicken/veggie soup and another 16 pints of hamburger/veggie soup were the result.  Love these meals in a jar.  So many uses.

Nurse saw the jars sitting on my kitchen table, waiting to be labeled and put on the shelf.    She wanted to know what the jars contained.  I told her.  And then because I am completely out of patience with those who think that in bad times the government will take care of them, I added that while her family was scraping the bottom of the peanut butter jar, my family would be dining on homemade soup or stew or maybe pot pies.

I know.  I am bad.  Live with it.

I went on to explain that a person doesn't need to home can.  Just by buying a few extra food items when grocery shopping, one can soon build up a pantry that will be ready to keep loved ones alive when the world blows up in our faces.  And that time is close.

Take good care, friends.  Keep stacking to the rafters.  And most important, keep praying.  We need Jesus now more than ever!