I'm Back

Caution- Reading this post could cause severe boredom. . Short version- I've been feeling under the weather but I'm better now. Proceed at your own risk.

Another apology for not writing for the last few days. The last two days have been spent driving around in circles for the most part.  I had an appointment on Wednesday to see a new doctor. Since I can't really afford one and can't get medicare yet,  I was able to find a wonderful place called The Good Samaritan's. They will see people who have no insurance or money to see a doctor.  There aren't really many rules except to show up on time.  The appointment was for 9:00 am with a check in time of 8:30 am.

  I had the very best of intentions and was aiming to be there before 8:30.  Things just never seem to work out like you had them planned though.  I had to drive into Tulsa, which is a little over 50 miles from Little Big Town.  I was up at 6:30 and on the road by 7:00.  Now don't you think that would be plenty of time to make it?  Yeah, so did I.  The problem is that it seems that every single road in Tulsa is under construction of some sort or the other.  And so my google map of how to get where I needed to be was rendered practically useless.  Well truth be told even without the construction detours it was pretty useless. I tried calling the numbers I had for the place and of course neither of them were any good.  Anyway, somehow I finally found the place at 9:15am.  I ran in, breathless, and was told my name had been crossed off the list.  Grrrrr.... but as fate would have it, someone didn't show up and I was able to take their spot.  

The doctor was great. She is going to do all she can to help me get my Social Security Disability.  As she put it "There is NO reason they should have turned you down". So she ordered a bunch of lab tests to be done and some xrays  as well.  This way I have something to show SS. Unfortunately the diagnoses hasn't changed but at least I have found a bit of help.  

Yesterday I had to go back into Tulsa (construction capitol of Oklahoma) and find the lab to have the blood work done , as well as the x-rays.  I'm really glad Mars went with me because once again I was lost as lost could be.  Of course every time I stopped to ask for directions I got some crazy instructions that kept getting me more and more lost. For over 2 hours we drove around before finally we broke down and bought a freaking $5.00 map of the city.  LOL we should have done that the day before!  With the help of the map we drove straight to both places with no more troubles.  Geesh, what a day. 

I didn't realize how much it had taken out of me.  I've been told that fatigue is one of the things that I will eventually have to deal with.  I guess I know what they were talking about now.  I fell into bed early last night and slept for a solid 10 hours. (something I never do)  Things are looking much better today!! 
                                          ~~Hey- I'm Just Sayin~~

Labor Day

Beautiful morning just sitting out on the porch and drinking coffee.  Someone must be having brisket today. I can smell the fire from someones pit floating in the breeze.  There aren't to many people stirring in the neighborhood yet.  I love this time of the morning. The sun's just barely up and its quiet.  There aren't any traffic noises yet and the birds are all starting to sing.  I can hear a squirrel making those chucking noises that squirrels make. It won't be too long though before the sounds of a small town coming to life will be heard. Kids playing, grown ups laughing and chatting around the pit.

I have always enjoyed Labor Day.  Its one holiday that that really doesn't have to be made a big fuss over. On the other hand, if you feel like it you can go all out too!  For me it has always meant good friends, good food and time to just relax.  It signals that the steamy hot days of summer are mostly behind us now and that the cooler days of Fall are on the way. Labor Day is one the few holidays that just demands (for me anyway)  a fire on the BBQ pit and some type of meat on said pit. We are having what I consider a traditional Labor Day meal this year.  Hamburgers and hot dogs!  Only we are going at it in a little bit of a different and sure to be yummy way.

Mushroom has found a wonderful old fashioned meat market over in Tulsa. They cut their own meats to order and still wrap the meats in butcher paper!  They also grind their own hamburger meat and make their own versions of polish sausage. You just can't find many places these days that go that extra mile. 

Speaking of going the extra mile, our meal today is sure to be a wonderful one.  And my friend Mushroom sure knows what she is doing. With good planning we are going to be able to enjoy the day just relaxing and being with friends.  All the "hard parts" have already been done over the last two days. I wanted to share with you just how this weekends foods all came about. That lady certainly knows how to plan things so that it almost seems effortless. I am doing all I can to learn from her experience in the kitchen while we are here with them. It would be silly NOT to!

 Mushroom defrosted a nice roast and put it it the solar oven earlier in the day on Saturday along with some nice carrots. We cooked the potato's for the potato salad and tossed in a few extra to make mashed potato's for Saturday's pot roast dinner.  We chopped up all the vegetables like the onions and celery that we would need for the next couple of days, including the carrots for the roast. We stirred up the potato salad and put it in the ice box to "set". I say that because we all know that the longer Tater salad sits the better it is!  The beans were put on to cook overnight. After all this stuff was done, she whipped up the extra potato's and made some excellent brown gravy from the roast juices. So we had a yummy pot roast dinner on Saturday night and marked the potato salad off the to do list!

Yesterday was another interesting day in the kitchen. The baked beans were still cooking and I was going to learn how to make some homemade bread.  I know some of you will be shocked to know that I DID NOT use my bread machine!!  As a matter of fact, after this weekend I might be using my beloved bread machine for kneading dough only. We made two different batches of bread.  The first one is a Rustic Italian Bread that is one of Bud's all time favorite breads.  It made the biggest loaf of bread I think I have EVER seen!  And OMG was it wonderful.  Then we made Onion Roll Hamburger and Hot-dog buns to go along with our Labor Day Feast. Dinner last night was pretty simple but oh so yummy.  Salomi and Provolone sandwiches on Rustic Italian Bread with a side of potato salad.

Today is the girls day off!  Our work is done.  Other than to heat up the beans and take the Potato salad out of the ice box. The menfolk are going to fire up the pit and toss some big ol hamburgers on along with some of that killer polish sausage.
So there you have it!  Hamburgers and Hotdogs on homemade onion buns, Yummy Potato Salad and homemade Baked Beans!
What are you having for your Labor Day Celebration?

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

Never Gonna Stand- Teachenor Clark

   Great song- Give it a listen, I don't think you will regret it!





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

I Often Wonder.... (yeah that's all I've got)

It has been a picture perfect day here.  I love this time of year.  It is still "almost" hot in the afternoons but oh so pleasant in the mornings.  You can feel that  the change in  seasons is just around the corner.  To me it seems that even the air is different. 

     The cats and the dogs are all starting to put on their winter coats.  I've been trying to remember just where I stored the long sleeve shirts.  Not that we need them just yet but it won't be much longer and I have things packed in every conceivable space in the RV. This will be my first fall and winter spent in a more northern climate.  STOP LAUGHING!  Oklahoma IS north to me! 
    This is going to be my first winter in someplace other than Texas in many many years.  I'm kind of looking forward to it, but then again I don't really like cold weather.  I know though that I am going to thoroughly enjoy actual seasons.  I really hope that maybe by this time next year we will be on our own land somewhere in Arkansas.  


The kittens are really starting to wander around now.  They are still a bit skish around people yet but they are getting better day by day. They come closer and closer to letting one of us touch them without freaking out and running away. Even the men folk are a little bit "taken" with them.  Just don't let them hear me say that though.  They are becoming a source of entertainment for us all.  It is actually kind of funny to hear four grown adults go on like little kids about the kittens.  I can only imagine what we will all be like in a month or so. LOL 

Not much going on today to share with you.  Therefore the title!


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

Handmade Soap / Fig Jam

End of the Season Fig Jam

Woo Hoo!  I'm back online.  We had a little problem around here and lost the internet for a couple of days.  It seems the city is doing some underground work down the street and clipped a line.  They did a temporary fix that lasted a few hours but it is down again now.   This is the third time in the last couple of weeks that it has happened.  I don't understand it though because every time I drive by where they are "working" all I see are people standing around, looking in the hole and talking on radios.  Sign me up for one of those jobs will ya? 

I made another batch of soap yesterday and as far as I can tell it was a beautiful success.  I have decided I am going to go into the soap making business.  I am going to be talking to some local businesses about placing my soaps in their stores on a "consignment" type deal.  There are several places that I have in mind both here in Little Big Town and also in the next town over.  When we were in Tulsa a few weeks ago I saw a small display of homemade lye soap at this little grocery/butcher shop for sale.  That's when the idea just sort of "clicked". 

I feel really good about this and hope to be able to make a part-time go of it soon.  Of Course the soap has to cure for 3-4 weeks before it will be ready.  The first batch should be ready to go in another week or so.  So I have a little time to make up a few sample baskets and all. I've decided to offer it here on this blog as well.  So stay tuned for Homemade Soaps coming your way soon!

I am really starting to see the increase in food prices in the last couple of weeks.  It is a bit unnerving to me.  My friend Shelly ( who writes for the Ohio Prepper's Network ) and I were talking about it again last night.  She is an avid coupon-aholic and very good at it.  She has been trying to "educate" me about some of the ways she saves money.  She actually found a couple of sites for me here in Oklahoma that look like they are going to help me save some of those precious dollars. She has got me excited about this!  I can see where I really might be able to save a noticeable amount of money and we all know that I am cheap....errr...frugal I mean.  I am hoping to get her to do a guest post about some of the tips and tricks that she uses to feed her rather large family. 

I am happy to report that I have officially finished my first identifiable knitting project!  Yep, you can actually tell what this one is!  I'm really starting to enjoy it too.  My next project ( which I have already started ) is a matching scarf.  And then who knows where that will lead.  

Someday it might actually lead to a pair of hand-knitted socks!  I don't see it in the near future but ..

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