Saturday, May 28, 2011

This and That

Sometimes life can take such unexpected turns.  Imagine my surprise when I got a box in the mail. I don't get many boxes through the mail and when I do it is something that I have ordered.  So when the box arrived, of course I got excited!  Hey! You know you would too!!  My dear friend MissBurr sent me this amazing housewarming gift.  Made in America too!  Thank you again MissB.  You are awesome!
"I can't find my work gloves."  I've been saying this for almost two weeks.  I have looked in "the last place I remember having them".  I have looked in places they couldn't possibly end up in a million years.  I've looked in the living room, kitchen,bedroom, bathroom, in cabinets and drawers.  I've looked around the barn area, the garden, the RV pad, and in the truck.  Each of these being done at least twice!  NO GLOVES.  Have you ever noticed that once you give up looking for something, it will decided to show itself in no time at all?   Mars picked me up a new pair of gloves while he was in town and 2 days later my old ones showed up in the dang truck!  It's not like they won't see their fair share of work though.  This pairs already blowing out a finger and the stitching on the palm is wearing thin.  They just don't make good affordable work gloves these days.

Some of you guys may remember the pepper plants that we overwintered in Mrs. M's greenhouse.  I had never tried it before. Heck I wasn't really aware that peppers would last more than one season.  Mars has 5 jalapeno and Serrano peppers that came through the winter just fine. New leaves all sprouted out and there are tons of new blooms on them.
  
Oh and did I mention they are loaded with these??

The place is really looking different as each day passes and something new gets done.  What a wonderful feeling that is.  We have a burn pile that seems to always be needing another fire set.  Every time I turn around it has grown again!


Mars has been working on the rabbit pens.  He's made stands for the pen and now we just need a top for it and we will be set.  I'm still looking for rabbits but I haven't found them yet.  

There are four really nice big old Oak trees on the property here. We've been gathering up some of the downed oak limbs to use in the BBQ pit.  It gets it's own pile.

I just love how it looks now with all the tall grass cut down and the dozens and dozens of little sapling trees out of there.  So peaceful.  And hey, all that shade is a mighty nice thing too!
 I made a batch of sugar cookies from an old recipe book.  They came out as more "cakey" (is that a word?)  than cookie and weren't very sweet.  They screamed for icing after I took this picture.  So I gave in and made some.  Sorry, but I didn't catch a picture of them after they were dressed up.... they went pretty fast!  
I made enough icing to frost a battalion's worth of cookies and had a bunch left over.  I figured I would make a cake or something to put  it on.  You know ya can't let good frosting go to waste.... So I went to grab the icing out of the fridge and this is what I found....
~~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...  ~~~~

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Update

Sorry to have been gone these past few days.  I'll blame it on being back to sharing the computer.  And I'll spare you all the things we've done to try and get things to work.  Of course it wasn't like there weren't other things going on around here to keep me busy....  
I'm trying to get into some sort of a regular routine around here. Being a natural night time person, it's taking a little time.  Right now I'm shooting for getting up at 8am.  Yes, I know most folks consider the day half over by then but I'm sure not one of them!  I know once we get the rabbits, goats, and chickens here and the garden in the ground things will make their own routine.
I don't even know what to say about all the storms hitting us this year.  So many lost and so much destruction. Not being from around here I didn't really know what to expect.  But then even those who have been here for years are amazed at this weather.  So far we have been really lucky. 
It seems the hills that we live in are positioned in such a way that many of the storms coming up from the south, southwest  kind of "split" and go around us on both sides.  Not that we haven't had our share of thunder and lightning with wind and rain. But thank goodness nothing like they have been getting all around us.  The ground is saturated.  Which brings me to another thing we have been up to the past few days.  It hadn't rained in over 3 days.  And so we thought it might finally be time to move the RV.
 The neighbor's horse wasn't all that interested in anything except that fresh cut grass...
One of the things on that big list of things that need to be done is to get the trailer moved.  Well that in itself was a bit of an undertaking.  When we moved out here we parked next to the electric pole. It was convenient and a good level spot.  Just what we needed for a temporary RV spot. 
 I've mentioned the spot we are going to move the RV for it's last road trip.  I didn't mention that it's only about 60 feet from here. 
 It's all cleaned off, the electric, septic and water lines are ready. The only thing left to do is to move the trailer 60 feet. 


Mars put the 5th wheel hitch back in  the truck one last time and hooked up the trailer.  Turns out the ground wasn't nearly as dry as we thought.
So with a bit of ingenuity and a bit of work... Out it came.


Mars parked it back at the utility pole. And so now, we wait. If things keep up like they are we might be parked here for awhile.  It's raining again right now so it could be awhile.   So close and yet so far...


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

Update

Sorry to have been gone these past few days.  I'll blame it on being back to sharing the computer.  And I'll spare you all the things we've done to try and get things to work.  Of course it wasn't like there weren't other things going on around here to keep me busy....  
I'm trying to get into some sort of a regular routine around here. Being a natural night time person, it's taking a little time.  Right now I'm shooting for getting up at 8am.  Yes, I know most folks consider the day half over by then but I'm sure not one of them!  I know once we get the rabbits, goats, and chickens here and the garden in the ground things will make their own routine.
I don't even know what to say about all the storms hitting us this year.  So many lost and so much destruction. Not being from around here I didn't really know what to expect.  But then even those who have been here for years are amazed at this weather.  So far we have been really lucky. 
It seems the hills that we live in are positioned in such a way that many of the storms coming up from the south, southwest  kind of "split" and go around us on both sides.  Not that we haven't had our share of thunder and lightning with wind and rain. But thank goodness nothing like they have been getting all around us.  The ground is saturated.  Which brings me to another thing we have been up to the past few days.  It hadn't rained in over 3 days.  And so we thought it might finally be time to move the RV.
 The neighbor's horse wasn't all that interested in anything except that fresh cut grass...
One of the things on that big list of things that need to be done is to get the trailer moved.  Well that in itself was a bit of an undertaking.  When we moved out here we parked next to the electric pole. It was convenient and a good level spot.  Just what we needed for a temporary RV spot. 
 I've mentioned the spot we are going to move the RV for it's last road trip.  I didn't mention that it's only about 60 feet from here. 
 It's all cleaned off, the electric, septic and water lines are ready. The only thing left to do is to move the trailer 60 feet. 


Mars put the 5th wheel hitch back in  the truck one last time and hooked up the trailer.  Turns out the ground wasn't nearly as dry as we thought.
So with a bit of ingenuity and a bit of work... Out it came.


Mars parked it back at the utility pole. And so now, we wait. If things keep up like they are we might be parked here for awhile.  It's raining again right now so it could be awhile.   So close and yet so far...


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

Friday, May 20, 2011

Zombie Apocolypse?

 Well it seems another week has come and gone (and pretty quickly too) and if you believe what some folks are saying this could be the last one we are going to have to worry about.  Yep, there is a group of people out there who are predicting tomorrow is TEOTWAWKI.  Heck, I think TEOTWAWKI has already begun.    Most folks just haven't figured it out yet.  The times they are a'changin'  to be sure.  

BUT, back to the May 21,2011.  Unless you have been living under a rock or something you have probably already heard that these folks believe that tomorrow at 6:00PM that the "Rapture" will occur.  Now I'm not really sure if that is Central, Pacific or Eastern time... but my guess is that it's not really going to be an issue.  Hmmm....  Maybe I should finish up that ice cream in the freezer?  Oh and while I'm at it I have a few Snickerdoodles left....I'd really hate for all that to go to waste.


It looks like this will be the Summer of the Cicada's.  After a 13 year sleep, they are back. Cicada's are some scary looking bugs.  Creepy!  I remember the last time they all came out of hiding.  That was one LOUD summer.  The sound was almost deafening at times.  I could still hear them in the house with the air conditioner on and the TV cranked up as high as I could stand it and could still hear them "singing".  They were THAT loud. When I was a kid I remember finding their shells on the trees and using them for decorations on my shirt!  LOL It used to freak my mom out!  Oh, wait... that was when I would sneak up behind her and put them in her hair!!

 Are you ready for the Zombie Apocalypse?  The Center for Disease Control put out a Zombie Warning this week.  And you thought my tin foil hat was on a bit too tight?  I TOLD you there were Zombies!
A second town in Vermont passed a Food Sovereignty Bill this month. "Food sovereignty is expressed as the “right to save seed, grow, process, consume and exchange food and farm products.”  I think we should all follow their lead all across America.  Our right to choose what we eat and how it is processed (or unprocessed) should be our decision.  If I want to drink raw milk who am I harming?  And who is the government to dictate what I can and cannot feed myself and my family?   Apparently the FDA doesn't agree.  Just ask the Amish folks at the Rainbow Acres Farm.


Do you remember Government class?  You know..... Back when they taught Government as a core class.  You know, one of those classes you had to take to graduate?  We studied this...


"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."  

Sound familiar?  If not, let me remind you that is our 4th Amendment.  Remember the Constitution?  Apparently the Supreme Court doesn't.   In Indiana this week the Supreme Court ruled that if a police officer wants to come into your house for ANY reason you now have NO RIGHT to resist or refuse entry into your home. It doesn't matter if there is a warrant or not.  They don't even need probable cause.  


Our POTUS has apparently turned his back on Israel  this week.  Say what you will, nothing good can or will come of this. It just might even be the thing that leads us into WWIII.  Who knows.....
I think I'm going to take the next couple of days off.  If tomorrow does happen to be the last day I think I'm going to go on and finish up that bit of chocolate cake.  I wouldn't want to leave it for the Zombie's.
     ~~~~  Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...  ~~~~

Zombie Apocolypse?

 Well it seems another week has come and gone (and pretty quickly too) and if you believe what some folks are saying this could be the last one we are going to have to worry about.  Yep, there is a group of people out there who are predicting tomorrow is TEOTWAWKI.  Heck, I think TEOTWAWKI has already begun.    Most folks just haven't figured it out yet.  The times they are a'changin'  to be sure.  

BUT, back to the May 21,2011.  Unless you have been living under a rock or something you have probably already heard that these folks believe that tomorrow at 6:00PM that the "Rapture" will occur.  Now I'm not really sure if that is Central, Pacific or Eastern time... but my guess is that it's not really going to be an issue.  Hmmm....  Maybe I should finish up that ice cream in the freezer?  Oh and while I'm at it I have a few Snickerdoodles left....I'd really hate for all that to go to waste.


It looks like this will be the Summer of the Cicada's.  After a 13 year sleep, they are back. Cicada's are some scary looking bugs.  Creepy!  I remember the last time they all came out of hiding.  That was one LOUD summer.  The sound was almost deafening at times.  I could still hear them in the house with the air conditioner on and the TV cranked up as high as I could stand it and could still hear them "singing".  They were THAT loud. When I was a kid I remember finding their shells on the trees and using them for decorations on my shirt!  LOL It used to freak my mom out!  Oh, wait... that was when I would sneak up behind her and put them in her hair!!

 Are you ready for the Zombie Apocalypse?  The Center for Disease Control put out a Zombie Warning this week.  And you thought my tin foil hat was on a bit too tight?  I TOLD you there were Zombies!
A second town in Vermont passed a Food Sovereignty Bill this month. "Food sovereignty is expressed as the “right to save seed, grow, process, consume and exchange food and farm products.”  I think we should all follow their lead all across America.  Our right to choose what we eat and how it is processed (or unprocessed) should be our decision.  If I want to drink raw milk who am I harming?  And who is the government to dictate what I can and cannot feed myself and my family?   Apparently the FDA doesn't agree.  Just ask the Amish folks at the Rainbow Acres Farm.


Do you remember Government class?  You know..... Back when they taught Government as a core class.  You know, one of those classes you had to take to graduate?  We studied this...


"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."  

Sound familiar?  If not, let me remind you that is our 4th Amendment.  Remember the Constitution?  Apparently the Supreme Court doesn't.   In Indiana this week the Supreme Court ruled that if a police officer wants to come into your house for ANY reason you now have NO RIGHT to resist or refuse entry into your home. It doesn't matter if there is a warrant or not.  They don't even need probable cause.  


Our POTUS has apparently turned his back on Israel  this week.  Say what you will, nothing good can or will come of this. It just might even be the thing that leads us into WWIII.  Who knows.....
I think I'm going to take the next couple of days off.  If tomorrow does happen to be the last day I think I'm going to go on and finish up that bit of chocolate cake.  I wouldn't want to leave it for the Zombie's.
     ~~~~  Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...  ~~~~

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Tools For Food Storage




There are several different thoughts on the "How To's"  of long term food storage.  Some folks opt for MRE's (meals ready to eat) and the pre-packaged food route. I don't really have a problem with that generally speaking.   There are lots of companies out there that cater to this train of thought.  Just google food storage and you will get close to 5 million results.   If you can afford it I suppose it is an easy way to do things.  It's just not "me".  If you haven't figured it out yet I'll be the first to tell you that I am a cheap errr.. frugal type person.  If there is a cheaper less expensive way to do something I'll choose that way every time.  Even if I could afford to store a mountain of pre-packaged meals I can honestly say  I wouldn't do it. Now I'm not saying that it wouldn't be nice to have some put away. There is always a use for them  but I can't see having this as my main storage option.   Just my personal choice of course.  
I'm one of those who thinks that  I can do just as good a job by making and/or putting up my own preps.  It is also something that can be done with much less money.  And really - How many of us can actually afford a years worth of MRE's and such? 

Someone asked a question the other night that got me to thinking.  What are some of the things that a person just starting out in prepping should have?  The question was geared towards food storage.  I've been thinking about that for a few days.  I was surprised that my list was really not all that long.The question had to do with what "tools" a person should have in their kitchen for beginning preppers. There are a few things that I would suggest as far as basic tools go.

1.  A good pressure canner and a big pot for water bath canning, (a big stock pot will work) Get yourself a Ball Book of Canning.  They are cheap inexpensive and a must have for "safe canning".  I call it the "Canning Bible".  Of course you will also need some jars and lids.  Just think of it this way... If you have ever seen something in a can or a jar on the shelf at the grocery store, then you can can it too.  That includes meats and vegetables as well as main dish meals.  

2.  A dehydrator.  It doesn't have to be an expensive one either. Check this out for more information on dehydrators.   A good Nesco will run you about $60.00. Check your local thrift stores, garage sales, Craigslist and such.  I found my second dehydrator for a whopping $2.00.  Drying foods is another wonderful way to preserve fruits and vegetables. You can do a search here on this blog for lots of articles about dehydrating.


3.  A vacuum sealer is a nice tool to have as well.  There is so much you can do with one.  They are not only an excellent way to put up things like meats in your freezer, but also a great tool for putting up dried things in canning jars.  It is also a wonderful way to make your foods last longer once you have opened up that can or jar.  I  vacuum seal things like cheese and even my green peppers, onions, celery and other things you would store in your refrigerator "crisper" drawer.  You wouldn't believe how much longer things will last when you store them vacuum sealed.  A vacuum sealer isn't a "must have" but it sure does make a lot of sense to have one. 


I'm sure I am missing some other good prepping tools to have but these will give you a great start.  If you have some other "must have" tools, leave a comment and help me add to the list. 
      ~~~~  Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...  ~~~~

Tools For Food Storage




There are several different thoughts on the "How To's"  of long term food storage.  Some folks opt for MRE's (meals ready to eat) and the pre-packaged food route. I don't really have a problem with that generally speaking.   There are lots of companies out there that cater to this train of thought.  Just google food storage and you will get close to 5 million results.   If you can afford it I suppose it is an easy way to do things.  It's just not "me".  If you haven't figured it out yet I'll be the first to tell you that I am a cheap errr.. frugal type person.  If there is a cheaper less expensive way to do something I'll choose that way every time.  Even if I could afford to store a mountain of pre-packaged meals I can honestly say  I wouldn't do it. Now I'm not saying that it wouldn't be nice to have some put away. There is always a use for them  but I can't see having this as my main storage option.   Just my personal choice of course.  
I'm one of those who thinks that  I can do just as good a job by making and/or putting up my own preps.  It is also something that can be done with much less money.  And really - How many of us can actually afford a years worth of MRE's and such? 

Someone asked a question the other night that got me to thinking.  What are some of the things that a person just starting out in prepping should have?  The question was geared towards food storage.  I've been thinking about that for a few days.  I was surprised that my list was really not all that long.The question had to do with what "tools" a person should have in their kitchen for beginning preppers. There are a few things that I would suggest as far as basic tools go.

1.  A good pressure canner and a big pot for water bath canning, (a big stock pot will work) Get yourself a Ball Book of Canning.  They are cheap inexpensive and a must have for "safe canning".  I call it the "Canning Bible".  Of course you will also need some jars and lids.  Just think of it this way... If you have ever seen something in a can or a jar on the shelf at the grocery store, then you can can it too.  That includes meats and vegetables as well as main dish meals.  

2.  A dehydrator.  It doesn't have to be an expensive one either. Check this out for more information on dehydrators.   A good Nesco will run you about $60.00. Check your local thrift stores, garage sales, Craigslist and such.  I found my second dehydrator for a whopping $2.00.  Drying foods is another wonderful way to preserve fruits and vegetables. You can do a search here on this blog for lots of articles about dehydrating.


3.  A vacuum sealer is a nice tool to have as well.  There is so much you can do with one.  They are not only an excellent way to put up things like meats in your freezer, but also a great tool for putting up dried things in canning jars.  It is also a wonderful way to make your foods last longer once you have opened up that can or jar.  I  vacuum seal things like cheese and even my green peppers, onions, celery and other things you would store in your refrigerator "crisper" drawer.  You wouldn't believe how much longer things will last when you store them vacuum sealed.  A vacuum sealer isn't a "must have" but it sure does make a lot of sense to have one. 


I'm sure I am missing some other good prepping tools to have but these will give you a great start.  If you have some other "must have" tools, leave a comment and help me add to the list. 
      ~~~~  Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...  ~~~~

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Planting Tomato's (Again)

Well, after messing around for over a week, I finally got the blueberry plants in the ground.  I'm not sure how they are going to do though.  Once I got them out of the bag and got a look at them there wasn't alot of root.  Basically little twigs. They sure don't look like much at the moment. I guess we will find out how they will do. It isn't like I spent a fortune on them.  At 75% off  I'm willing to see how they will do. Mars spent a good deal of time getting the soil worked and ready for them.   The beds are about 3 /12 feet wide and 6 feet long and I planted the bushes right in the middle.  If they DO take off they should have plenty of room to grow.  Since we still have over two dozen tomato plants that need to go in the dirt I'm going to use the beds and stick them in as well.  I figure we might as well use the space while we can for other things to grow.  If there is room after getting the tomato's in I think I'm going to stick what herbs I have started in there.  I'm still amazed that I even got some of them started.  I don't have a good track record with herbs! 


UPDATE:  The tomato's are all in the ground and all the berries are in as well.  Good grief, it's about time! I've only been talking about it for what seems like weeks.  I'm trying something new (for me) this time with this round of tomato's.  They have been in containers since I started them from seed and have been in them wayyy to long.  So they ended up a bit root bound and really "leggy".  When planting tomato's I have always planted them really deep.  I will plant them about half way in the ground. The roots will grow all the way up to the top of the dirt soil. It makes the stalks more sturdy and the whole plant much stronger. 
The problem with the one's I put in today is that they were an average of a little over 2 foot tall.  That's an awfully deep hole to have to dig.  So I didn't!!  What I did was to dig a little trench, laid them over, and planted them sideways. Then I just sort of bent the top of the plants up above the dirt soil and watered them in.  Now we can just sit back and wait.  I have a feeling they will do great.  From all that I've read they should.  
I'll make a confession now.  I think the most tomato plants I've ever planted at one time was 8-10.  And even then I had more tomato's than I knew what to do with. I'm a little nervous this year with over  4 dozen in the ground.  I can already see them coming out of my ears.   Of course I plan on canning as many as I can. I'll try my hand at sauces, salsa's, ketchup and juice as well as diced, quartered, whole, seasoned and stewed.  And I'll dry all I can too. I still haven't done a real "count" to see how many we actually planted this time, but I do know its A LOT! Can tomato's actually come out of your ears??    
I'd have taken a picture but I still can't find my camera so all I have is my phone camera.  Besides, its dark out now and if I had waited.... you wouldn't be reading this yet!


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

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Miss Kitty's New Adventures

Miss Kitty seems to have settled in nicely in her new surroundings. She has hundreds of acres to roam around now.  She has always been quite the hunter.  Even as a small kitten she would find and catch lizards and other little critters and bring them home to "play them to death".  I know it's just natural for a cat to do. They are, by nature, hunters. She likes nothing better than to catch something and bring it to show me what she has done. 
It can be a bit unnerving at times though. Like the time she walked right up to me (while I wasn't looking) and laid a live snake between my feet!  Oh yeah, that one is still memorable and I have a scar on my shin to prove it.  A scar?  Yep, from running into a cinder block dead on at 90 miles an hour while trying to escape the area! I really wish she didn't feel the need to show  me every single thing she catches.  I don't know if she is just showing off or if maybe she is trying to do her fair share and contribute to the family food storage..... Either way I wish she would just "keep it to herself"!  I mean, I know she is proud of herself.  That much is evident in the way she paces back and forth with her tail held high and meowing like she is saying "Look at what I brought home for dinner".   Uh .. thanks but... no thanks?
  Since we moved out here she has brought home another snake (grass snake), a lizard, a mouse, several birds and two small rabbits.  I told her she needed to work on the size of the rabbits next time!  Not nearly big enough for a family meal yet!

I woke up the other morning about 5 A.M. and stumbled all  bleary eyed and yawning  into the bathroom to .... well, you know... I had to GO.  It was still pretty dark and I stepped into something wet.  The first thing that crossed my mind was " Gross!  Mars must have missed <insert sigh here>  How hard is it to hit a target that big?"  And then I looked down.  There, right beside the toilet , laid a BIG RAT.  No where to run (RV bathrooms are tiny) I just sort of started backing up and yelled O.M.G!!!  Mars hollered back "What is it??"  So of course I answered... "O.M.G"  I guess that wasn't what he wanted to hear because he asked again "What IS it".   By this time I was backing out into the hall and screeching "A RAT, a BIG RAT!"  I thought my heart was going to come right out of my chest it was beating so hard.  I wasn't sure if it was still alive but I wasn't taking any chances by staying in there.  And that is when I noticed  it wasn't moving and that most of its insides were now outside.  Gross!  Really really gross.  That thing's body was at LEAST 7 inches long before you count the tail.  Now I know you are probably thinking that 7 inches isn't really all that long but hey, it wasn't laying in YOUR bathroom at 5o'clock in the morning!  That thing was huge I tell ya, gianormus!  
I don't feel the urgency, living this far out, that I used to about locking the door at night.  But I guarantee that the kitty door will be closed and double checked before I go to bed from here on out!!
     ~~~~  Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...  ~~~~

Friday, May 13, 2011

Tomato Row


Isn't it amazing how cutting grass seems to make a place look so much larger?  And nicer too!  Oh, and a bit of new springtime green never hurts either! Everything is so much prettier now that spring is in full bloom! Knowing that it is ours makes it all the more beautiful.

My friend Mushroom and her hubby gave us their old riding lawnmower. What a wonderful piece of equipment it is.  I can tell you already that it is going to be well used and well loved around here! Thanks again "Shroom"....You guys ROCK!! 

These two pictures are of the part of the land that edges the government land.  The first is looking from the road towards the back of the property before it was mowed.   The second picture is looking towards the road. Isn't it amazing how much bigger things look once you knock down all the weeds!  This is the area we will be using for the garden.  The plan is to find someone around here with a tractor to come plow all this up. That way we can start working on it for the fall garden. This is going to be one big garden!  As has always been the plan, it will be one of our main sources of food one day.

I don't know if ya'll  remember but I planted a whole bunch of tomato seed back in early March.  I had them in Mushroom's greenhouse and they really did well.  What with moving and getting settled in we didn't have time to get a spring garden started.  But since we already had all the tomato's started, Mars tilled up a good size row for them.

We got alot of them into the ground yesterday.  There are also some cucumber's and one spaghetti squash plant on the far end of the row. Notice how a lot of the tomato's leaves are kind of yellow looking?  Poor things were super root bound.  I can't wait to see how they will take to all the new room.  Wouldn't you know it... Shortly after we got them in the ground  "The Big Guy Upstairs"  decided he would water them for us!  It came one heck of a "gully-washer" here for an hour or so.  You just can't beat that now can ya?
It looks like we are going to have to have at least one more row to get the rest of the things we have started from seed in the ground.  We kind of ran out of room.  There are close to another dozen or  so tomato's still left to plant.  These are the ones that got "leggy" while patiently waiting for us to do something with them.  I've read about planting tomato's sideways so that's what we are going to try with these.  Why?  Well, first of all it would take one heck of a deep hole to plant these babies straight up and down. And secondly, because I want to see how well it works. 
and lots of herbs that haven't made it in yet.  Somehow during the move I lost all the markers for them so I'm really not sure what is what on some of them.  I know I should know what they all are but as some of you guys know... I've never had a lot of luck growing herbs.  As a matter of fact that tray you are looking at is by far the  best luck I've ever had even getting them started.


 I know that there is Dill, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, Lavender and one other type which for the life of me I can't remember right now.  You watch though, about the time I doze off tonight I'll sit straight up in bed and yell out it's name.  Needless to say, Mars hates it when I do that!

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

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Breakfast Taco's

I have a question for you guys.  Is eating breakfast tacos a Texas thing? Or maybe a southern border thing? I've noticed that there is a lack of places here that sell a good breakfast taco.  Well, to be honest, I haven't seen ANY. Back in Texas there are places everywhere.  Even Taco Trucks!  So it got me to wondering how many folks actually eat breakfast tacos.  
They are such an easy meal to make.  The clean-up is a breeze too.  One pan, a spatula, a spoon to dip the salsa with and some napkins!  It doesn't get much easier.  For those of you who have never tried them, you just don't know what you have been missing!
You can start easy with some crumbled sausage in your scrambled eggs and then wrap it up in a tortilla. Try adding some grated cheese too, of course then you are going to have to wash the grater....  Anyway, there are pretty much endless variations of the simple breakfast taco.  You just need to start with flour tortilla's and let your imagination just go with it.  Bacon, ham, chorizo (mexican spicy sausage) or sausage are all good starts.  Scramble some eggs add the meat of your choice, maybe some fried chunks of potato's, some good salsa and roll it all up into a quick easy breakfast. I like sauteed onions and/or green peppers. Diced fresh tomato's are good too.  If you have a good picante sauce or a nice salsa to top it off with... yummm.  The hubster love's jalapeno or Serrano peppers with his.  Oh and don't forget the cheese!  If you don't like eggs you can always try a meat and potato taco.  I'm about 50/50 on the potato choices. Fried diced potato's good, but then again you can't beat soft fried potato's. 
I haven't made tortilla's in a year or more.  Things have just been different, but I'm going to start making them again.  Mars and I both love to eat tortilla's like alot of folks eat white bread. Breakfast taco's are one of my favorite quick and easy meals.  Another great thing is that they are good "to go" food.  Quick and easy, they make a great meal!
Anyway.... I was just sort of curious to see if breakfast taco's are a regional thing.  Do you eat them in your neck of the woods?  Oh  and if you decide to try some don't forget an extra napkin or two.  Sometimes ya dribble!


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

Monday, May 9, 2011

Dehydrated Onions

I had pictures for this post... Honestly! I did!  The problem is that I can't find my camera to download them.  We went down to pick up the last of our things from Mrs M's and I know I took it with me.  I just can't seem to find it.  Things have been hectic (what an understatement) around here lately.  I hope everyone had a Super Mother's Day and a wonderful weekend.


OK... Is it just me or have onions begun to resemble the gold exchange?  I'm really tired of having to pay an average of over a $1.00 lb for them. Not long ago they were up to $1.98 lb. Which is the reason I'm sharing how easy it is to dry them. When they get that pricey I break out a jar whenever I can.  I've been looking for them to go on sale now for awhile and this past week they finally did.  I  picked up about 15 pounds for $0.29lb.  Now I wish I had bought more as they went right back up again this week!  I'll keep my eyes open for more though.  

We use ALOT of onions here. I like them in almost anything and as far as I'm concerned there is no such thing as too much.   So I like to keep some on hand at all times,  I just don't like having to pay the price for them.  That is why I dehydrate onions.  They are great to use in any cooked dish that calls for them. (and around here most do!)  Some folks say that it is easier to just buy Dried Onions.  Maybe so, but I'm trying to live on a really small budget. Heck the hardest part is cutting up the onions,  so for me it's a no brainer.

Dehydrating onions is super easy. Cut, dry and put up till you need them.  They will store just as long as the Dried Minced Onions you find at the grocery store.  The best part is that they are over 50% less when you do it yourself! 

 (1) Just dice them up in uniform pieces and (2) spread them on your dryer trays.  I use my screen's for the trays since they end up being pretty small pieces.  (3)  Set your dehydrator to 135* to 145* and dry them for about 4 hours. (5)  Check the onions about four or five hours into drying. I spread them out a bit more and then dry for a couple more hours. (6) When they are done they will be crisp and dry.  Let them cool and store them in a canning jar.  I use my FoodSaver attachment and vacuum seal them.  If you don't have one that's ok too.  They will still keep for a long time.


DIY dried onions will store just as long as the Dried Minced Onions you find at the grocery store.  The best part is( cause I'm cheap ... err frugal like that) that they are over 50% less when you do it yourself!  
     ~~~~  Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...  ~~~~

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Burn Ban Lifted

 We have been staying busy around here.  I've got a feeling that I better get used to it cause there is so much to do. I don't think we will be running out of things that need tending to for quite some time!  For the past few days we have been cutting brush and playing with fire.  I don't know how but I seem to have become the fire watcher.   All that rain we got last week really has helped since they lifted the burn ban!





Here's the Big Tree that had to come down so we could get the wood stove off the trailer. It is was blocking the path to the concrete pad.
Too bad the wood wasn't any good or maybe we could have used it this next winter.  There sure was alot of it!



  See all those little "sucker" trees?  They had to go too.




This is the "pad" we are eventually going to move the RV on.  There used to be a house here but it burned down several years ago.  On the other side of those cinder blocks is the old porch slab. As you can see, it is was covered with burned siding and roofing.



This is a fire pit or maybe an outdoor oven.  I'm not sure what it was supposed to be but it is sitting on the slab.  Eventually we will have to move it too.  I'm pretty sure the RV will still fit beside it but we won't be using it as it would be way to close to start a fire in. It's going to have to come out but that is another project for another day.


It sure looks a whole lot better now doesn't it?  Amazing what a little fire and a lot of elbow grease (not to mention a chainsaw) can do!


Plenty more to come in the following days so stay tuned!


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







Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Playing Catch Up

It rained all day Sunday. I think it got up to about 53.  I don't do cool (cold) weather well these days.  It's got to do with my blood platelet's being so low.  That's what they tell me anyway. I get really cold while other folks are fussing about the heat.  So I stayed inside in my sweats and socks all day.  Actually it's not a bad way to spend a rainy Sunday.   Of course nothing really got done around here although I did manage to whip up a batch of cookies and a roast for dinner. I admit that for the first time in quite awhile I missed watching TV.  That in itself is kind of funny because even if we had the dang thing hooked up there is never anything worth watching, especially on a Sunday afternoon.  Somewhere, packed among all the boxes, there is a digital converter box for the TV.  I remember seeing it about a year ago...

 Our Internet connection out here is pretty bad.  Almost as bad as dial-up.  Except that with dial-up eventually you can download a YouTube video and watch it.  A friend suggested trying a Rural ISP connection so I called them about it yesterday morning. Basically it is Internet provided by an old fashioned antennae.  They must be pretty busy around here because they said they would "try" and get out here by the end of the week to check our location and see if they can hook us up.  Right now we are on a wireless connection and it sure leaves a lot to be desired. (what an understatement!)  I might not watch much TV but I sure do miss a good Internet connection.  

Rain and cool weather was predicted for Monday but we lucked out. It was cloudy and cold cool all day but never did rain. The wind finally stopped blowing too. I think it got up to about 57 by the end of the day. The burn ban is still lifted so we decided to take advantage. We piled up all the wood from the tree we cut down on Saturday and started a fire.  There are also bunches of "sucker" trees growing all over the area we have been clearing. That had to be done before we can back up and unload  the trailer.  We managed to get a bunch of them cut and burned as well. It's amazing how much better the place looks with them all cut out. 

The weather is supposed to be nice and sunny tomorrow so with any luck we can offload the rest of the stuff off Bud's trailer.  They are buying a new lawnmower and are set to pick it up on Friday, which means we need to get it back to them in the next couple of days.  I'm actually glad for the incentive to get things off of it.  I'll take the trailer back and bring out another load of stuff from Mrs.M's. I figure after that there may be one or two more loads and we will be "all moved in". 
I've had a couple of folks mention the fact that I haven't been posting any pictures here of our "progress".  I'm working with a different computer and operating system now and I haven't been able to figure out how to post them yet.  I am working on it.  I hope to have it worked out soon.  I HAVE been taking pictures though so with any luck....


The MSM (main stream media) has been talking about nothing at all except Osama's assassination.  I have my thoughts on all of that but I figure I won't be sharing them here.  This hasn't ever really been a place that I spout my beliefs too much and I don't figure I'll change things now.  That being said, I DO think it is hilarious that Obama made his "announcement" just as the folks on "The Apprentice" were walking into the boardroom to see who was going to get to hear those now famous words  "You're FIRED". 
     ~~~~  Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...  ~~~~