This One Is For You, Boston

Boston is nearly 13 years old.  Boston isn't usually wearing makeup, but this picture was taken while she was in stage makeup for one of her dance competitions last month.  It is the latest picture I have of her.

Boston had a goal.  She wanted to make the National Honor Society.  So she worked to make it happen.  Yesterday it did.

The letter was waiting for her when she got home from school.  She called her Dad.  He told me she was so excited that he couldn't understand a word she said.  He had to wait for her to calm down and speak a little more slowly, without the squeals of delight.  Girls who are almost teenagers squeal with delight.  A lot.  I think it is in their DNA.

I called her last evening.  I wanted to congratulate her and tell her how proud her Grandma is of her and her accomplishment.

Because I am.

It Will Be Interesting...

to see just how much I can accomplish in a weekend.  It is probably a good thing that much of it can be done while sitting at my kitchen table.  :)

Last evening Son came home with 15 lbs. of frozen chicken breast.  The price hasn't gone up as yet, so he is going back to the store today for more.  Every day we hear of the bird flu spreading to another farm.  I have lost track of how many millions of chickens and turkeys have been destroyed.  One of the largest chicken/turkey processing plants in our state just laid off 233 workers because of it.  It is a sad state of affairs, especially for those who were working and now are not.  Common sense tells me that before too long the prices in the stores will reflect the damages.  The local news reports have even suggested that folks would do well to think about serving something other than the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner this year.  So I am buying as much chicken as I can now while it is still affordable.  When canned and stored under the right conditions,  it will keep for years.

Our local store got rid of that awful bacon I canned and then had to toss, and replaced it with the good stuff.  Another 3 lb. package came home with Son as well.  Both of us really like the bacon bits I can and even though he won't be living with me forever, he will still benefit.  All of my kids know they can shop in Mom's pantry whenever they want, and they can leave their cash and credit cards at home.  That's what makes Moms happy - feeding their kids, even when they are all grown up.

Fresh carrots are also on sale this week for 50 cents a pound, so Son grabbed 10 lbs.  Last evening I peeled them and cut them into pieces that will fit in my Vidalia Chop Wizard.  I love that little gadget.  I already wore one out and replaced it.  Lucky for me our local Target store carries them.  Tomorrow I will dice, blanch and get the carrots to drying in the dehydrators.  I really like having the dehydrated vegetables on hand.  They take up so much less space than the canned.  I prefer the canned or frozen for meals, but for soups that I simmer all day on the stove or in the crock pot, the dried can't be beat.  And kept away from light and moisture, they will keep indefinitely.  Son is getting more carrots, too, as long as they are so cheap.

I finally feel like I am getting caught up from this past winter.  Before I started with the grocery delivery service, I pretty much just ate from my food storage.  And I ate well.  There are those who can't figure out why I spend so much of my time on food preservation and storage.  I am blessed to have children close by who have been happy to bring me the food I needed at other times when I couldn't get out myself.  And I have no doubt that any of my four would do whatever I asked of them.  But it is very important to me to be able to take care of myself, even with the physical limitations that seem to show up fairly regularly as I age.  And should everything come crashing down around our ears, the knowledge that my family will not go hungry is a huge comfort.  I pray we never have to test the theory, but if we do, I would rather be ready than wonder where the next meal was going to come from.  Been there.  Done that.  Don't ever want to do it again.

Today I'm Canning Pork

The other day I sat at my kitchen table enjoying a cup of coffee and browsing through my local grocery store sale ad for this week.  I noticed they had boneless country style pork ribs on sale for $1.99 a pound.  I don't know how it is in other parts of the country, but you can't hardly ever find any kind of meat for that price here any more.  I told Oldest Son about the sale and he said he would stop on his way home from work yesterday and get some.

So late yesterday afternoon Son came in the door with just a bit under 28 lbs. of pork.  He said he cleaned out their display.  I know from past experience that when the store runs a sale on this kind of meat, it isn't the neat, evenly cut pieces that one usually gets.  Some of the pieces are large and thick while others are smaller.  It isn't as free of fat as pork loin, but the fatty bits are small and easily trimmed.  There is very little waste.

After supper I browned the pieces of pork in my cast iron frying pan.  I  could have skipped this part, but I think it helps keep the meat moist and adds to the flavor.  It was too late in the evening to start canning, so the meat went into the fridge overnight.

This morning I put the meat pieces into 9x13 cake pans and into the oven for 15 minutes just to warm them before packing into the jars.  I wound up with 18 quarts of pork.  I will use them like I might a pork roast.  One quart jar will yield one nice pork roast meal for one or two people with leftovers for sandwiches or soup.  I think that's well worth the time and money.

Chocolate Chip Cookies.....

fresh from the oven.  The good kind made with butter instead of shortening.
 
Tall glass of ice cold milk.

Yep.  Getting out of bed this morning was absolutely worth the effort.

Quiet Sunday

Beautiful day with temperatures hovering around 80 degrees.

Working on Granddaughter's photo album for her graduation.  Sometimes the mojo is working - sometimes not.  Today everything seems to be coming together without a lot of aggravation.

Still smiling after a phone call last evening from a friend.  Amazing how the sound of a voice you care about can make a person feel so good.

Conversation with Son is always a good thing.  I wondered if it would bother me having another person here after living alone for so long.  It doesn't.

Afternoon naps are necessary.  Especially when one tends to stay up late at night.

Ordering pizza for supper, which is something we rarely do so it is a treat.

Listening to the sound of raindrops and thunder boomers as a mini storm rolls overhead.  The radar website tells me it will be over in a few minutes.  Maybe a little more rain headed this way overnight.  We need it.

Windows open and a slight breeze entering the apartment.  I will enjoy that now, for before long they will be closed and the air conditioning will be on.  I love the smell of fresh air, even if it is town air.

All in all, a very good day.

Once Upon a Time...

there was a relatively peaceful building with apartments above a bicycle shop.  This peace and quiet was shattered about 11:00 last evening by the sound of a smoke alarm.  There was no smoke smell and my alarms were quiet.  I headed out into the hallway to see if I could tell where the noise was coming from.  It was coming from the apartment directly across the hall, which is occupied by a single guy and his  dog.

I gave the guy a little bit of time to get the alarm shut off.  I know all about our smoke alarms that will sound for the most slim of reasons.  But he doesn't shut it off.  By this time 10 minutes have past.  I knocked on his door, thinking that maybe something was wrong with him.  No answer.  His dog started barking when I switched from knocking to pounding.  Still no answer.

Down the hall and around the corner I went, fashionably dressed in nightgown and robe, to see if I can rouse the caretaker couple.  No such luck. 

Back to my apartment, meeting another neighbor on the way who was just as fashionably dressed as I was and who was not pleased about being awakened.  If we had chickens, she would be going to bed when they did and getting up with them.  Unlike the night owl that I am.

I called the landlord, apologizing for the lateness of the hour and explained the situation.  I didn't want to call 911 if there is no reason.  He says he will call me back.

Took the landlord two calls to wake up the caretakers.  The guy in the apartment where the smoke alarm was still beeping like mad, never did answer.  The dog was not happy.  Neither was the sleepy chicken lady neighbor.  20 minutes had now passed since I first heard the alarm.

Turns out the guy across the hall had been doing his level best to see that the whiskey industry remained solvent.  When the caretakers finally went into his apartment, they found him passed out on his couch and his pizza that was in the oven, burned to a crisp.  The dog was glad to see the caretakers.  He is such a nice dog. 

They shut off the alarm, deposited the round piece of charcoal in the kitchen sink and ran water over it to stop it from smoking, shut off the oven and fed the dog. 

And we all lived happily ever after.  Except for the guy across the hall who is probably nursing a monumental hangover today.

The End.

If All Else Fails...

read the instructions.

When canning any food, I take the jars from the pressure canner and set them on a towel on my kitchen table.  There they stay overnight, giving jars and food plenty of time to cool.  In the morning I remove the metal bands and wash the jars in hot soapy water to remove any residue, label them with the contents and date, and stack them on my shelves.

This morning while removing the bands from the pints of hamburger I discovered to my absolute horror that over half of the lids had not sealed.  I had used the Tattler lids on these jars.  And that's where the reading the instructions part comes in.

When using Tattler lids, the metal bands that hold the lids in place need to be tightened and then backed off about a quarter inch before canning.  I did that.

Often times while processing, the metal bands will loosen.  So when the jars are removed from the canner, the bands need to be tightened down immediately.  I did not do that.

I forgot.

Read.  The.  Instructions.  Especially if you have a memory like a sieve as mine is.

I wiped down the rim of each jar that hadn't sealed with vinegar on a paper towel to remove any grease or food particles that would keep the jars from sealing.  Back into the canner they went for another go-around.

I used all metal lids on the jars of bacon, and they all sealed just fine.  But then, they don't require any special handling.  Used to be that metal lids needed to be simmered in hot water to soften the rubber part that adheres itself to the rim of the jar, but that isn't even required any more.

Sometimes I think my mind is just slowly turning into Jello.