More This And That

Does anyone else enjoy just getting out and riding the roads with no exact destination in mind?  Mars and I used to do it all the time.  It was a way to get away from the house and explore new roads and just get some "Us" time.  That's what we ended up doing yesterday.  Originally we were just taking a drive to go buy some tobacco from the Indian Smoke Shop's that they have here in Oklahoma.  It was a nice day even though it's still hotter than hades here. We ended up just "driving".   Sometimes we all need to just remember to take a little "us" time with our significant others. 

We decided it is time that we make the trip down south and retrieve our things out of storage.  We have less than two weeks now before the rent is due again.  It will be good to have that worry off our shoulders and all our things back within reach again.  Bud told us we could use his trailer so that is going to be a big help.  It's not like there is alot of stuff there but everything we have now is important to us and to our preps.  When we initially started on this journey we pared things down to the bare mimimum and so loosing anything now means the loss of "important stuff".

   We decided that we are going to take our time getting it done since it has been so hot.  There really isn't a reason to rush anyway.  So we are going to take the tent, the BBQ pit, and a few "essentials" and camp out at the lake there. You know, just take our time and try not to end up with heat stroke!   We are thinking that BB (the criminal element in our family) would enjoy going with us. 
She loves to ride and man oh man she loves the lake!  That dog would swim all day long if we would let her. Which I think is funny considering that she absolutely HATES getting her feet muddy. 

I have been doing tons and tons of research on making soap.  I have put alot of thought into it as well. I finally figured out that finding lye isn't something I can find around here locally.  It is just nowhere to be found.  So I found a decent deal online and have ordered some.  I've decided that if all goes well I am going to try and start a small soap making business.  There are lots of places that I could try and market it around here.  Flower shops, small mom and pop places, feed stores, local nurseries, even the flea market!  Heck even if I don't sell any of it I would be flush in soap from here on out!

Mushroom made some yummy beef stew the other day.  The reason I mention this is because she used some green peas from her food storage preps.  These were interesting because they were freezed dried and compacted AND they were purchaced in 1984!  26 year old green peas that tasted like fresh from the garden yesterday!  What have you added to your preps lately??

Speaking of fresh stuff, I actually bought a watermelon the other day.  It sucks that I had to buy one but hey... there is always next year.  Anyway, no one around here really likes watermelon except me.  So when I bought one of the biggest ripest ones I could find the question came up as to why I would want one so big.  Well if you have been reading here long you already know the answer to that one!  I'm cheap....er frugal.  I always want the biggest return on my "investment".   I figured if I don't eat it all then I can always preserve it right?  How many of you know that you can dry melons?  I've never done watermelon but I have dehydrated cantaloupe.  It turns out sort of like a chewy candy.  Pretty tasty actually.  From the looks of things though I don't think I'm going to have any left to try and dry.  Did I mention I LOVE WATERMELON! 

 Some folks wonder how to pick out a good watermelon.  I know you have heard about thumping a watermelon to see if it "sounds" ripe.  Well that IS part of picking a good one.  You listen for the tone.  I can't explain that here but I know the sound when I hear it. I usually eat the stripped melons.  It's a personal preference which probably comes from it being the one I was most exposed to growing up.  Here is what my Dad taught me and it has never failed me.... Look at the stripes on the watermelon.  If they are broken and not really "stripes" anymore, then the melon is ripe.  Pretty simple, yes?

                     ~~Hey...I'm Just Sayin...~~