I can quit eating chocolate if I want to, but I am not a quitter!

I saw that somewhere and liked it and had to share. So, I have several things on my mind.

Pork loin
Pork loin was on sale last week for 1.49/lb. Is that a good price? It was somewhere near six pounds, so the pork loin was just under $10. The last time I had a pork loin, I cooked it in the oven. This one went into my large gifted crock pot and cooked for 20 hours. It is possibly the most  tender piece of meat I have ever had.

I just had pulled pork on a free bun with marked down BBQ sauce. But, I had no cole slaw to put on top--boo hoo.  Unfortunately, I could not afford a bag of the tricolor cole slaw mix. Tomorrow, I can afford it as my ss check will come tomorrow.

Exbf will come on Thursday, so we will have pork loin, slaw, and field peas and still have leftovers...maybe for Easter, too? I predict the pork loin will last for 10 meals; the coleslaw for 5, and the field peas for 4 meals. Exbf will eat one meal here, and I will send home another meal with him. I will put the meal in a divided, covered Tupperware plate so he can take it to work for his meal..

(No, I cannot grate cabbage because of my injured hands.)

Dressing and BBQ sauce
In the grocery store I have seen Kraft Ranch Dressing, 24 ounces and no hfcs Kraft BBQ sauce, 18 ounces, packaged together, shrink-wrapped and sold for only a bit less than they would be separately on the shelf. The other day, I found the packaged duo for $1.99. The dressing in this size was something like $3.48, so I am ahead on this already. I think the BBQ sauce was $1.49. At any rate it was a bargain. I love both but rarely buy either.

This was the BBQ sauce I put on my sandwich. I could put it in the meat, but I won't.

Pork loin is something I recently discovered. Don't ask me why. 

Your turn
How much per pound is pork loin regularly priced? What is a good price when it is on special? This was not going out of date! Did they mark down the dressing bbq sauce duo at your store? t any rate, I think $1.99 for both is a steal.

Slandering Me Needs to Stop

Sissy is sending emails to people and posting comments saying I am a leach, wealthy, and stashing the money I got from gofundme. She says she actually knows me.

None of this is true. And, we have never met. Her emails to me have expressed jealousy.

Two bloggers have actually met me at my house. If you would, you two can comment as to whether I have money.

I hate to bring drama to my blog. I will stop this lying the hard way if I must.

I did pay a plumber to replace the water line to the road!

What would you do? You can just email me if you do not want to comment here.
pparsimony@yahoo.com

HOA Nightmare

After reading this I would never live anywhere I was subject to HOA rules.  The elderly man was ordered to remove personal items from his home and how to use his rooms in his house!

Your turn
Do you live in HOA regulated housing? Do you have a story to share that is yours or just a situation you know or read?

Free at Walmart

On Friday night I needed something from Walmart so I made a quick trip. While there I wandered into the Garden Center. Well, it was the indoor part, not the outer two sections. The guy there told me there was to be a Grand Opening on Saturday morning. Some plants were going to be half-price.

While I was very much interested, I knew I had no money to spend Saturday morning, Plus, even if I had money it would have been difficult to find a handicap parking space or an electric cart. Around noon on Saturday, , I realized I needed milk when I prepared to scramble eggs. I drink milk when I eat scrambled eggs.

Before I left I hung out a line of clothes, part of what I washed last night at the Laundromat. I am trying not to use the dryer and electricity. When I came home, they were dry but I hurt too much to hang more. My line is short!

After the milk was in my cart, I went to the outdoor Garden Center. It is under cover but has chain link for walls in most of the area. It was sooo cold, so I went back into the store and met the same guy going out there, the guy who told me about the sale. As it turns out, all the chairs, bistro sets, and other furniture was half price. I don't need any outdoor furniture since I have plenty of furniture gotten for free or at yard sales.

He did show me that there were free bulbs. They were giving away one gladiola bulb in a three-inch peat pot. There is no potting soil in the peat pot. But, I will just plant the gladiola bulb in the ground. I have always wanted gladiola, but they are expensive. They were two for $9.98, so I got a $4.50 bulb and a pot and a cup of Coke for free. I wanted a cookie, but apparently they did not feel it necessary to give away a cookie.

There were free tomato plants, but I was too late. They gave them all away. Pooh!

Then, after purchasing milk that had been out of the cooler for an hour in my electric cart, I decided to go to Lowe's where I had things I needed to check out. I brought the milk home about 5 p.m. and left it on the porch while I went to let the hens out again. (I was afraid a dog would come and hurt them.) I could not bring up the steps all the stuff I had in my hands. Just now, around 7:40 pm, I finally went out to shut the chickens in their pen and brought the milk in. Hopefully, it is so cold out that it will not spoil soon.

Maybe you can be at your WM when they have a Grand Opening at the Garden  Center.

Your turn
Does your Walmart have a Garden Center? Have you checked about the Grand Opening? Any hints or tricks pr warnings for growing a gladiola?

Giant Eggs

I love to go to collect eggs and find an egg from each hen I have. Of course, I only have two hens, so two eggs sitting close in the next thrills me.

Today, when I fed the hens, Thelma was on the nest and Maggie May was directly in front of the opening where Thelma sat. She just stood there very still, just looking at Thelma as if to say, "Hurry up! I have an egg coming, NOW!"

Later, when I let them out, I checked for eggs. There they were, two perfect orbs. But, today Maggie May's tiny egg was larger than Thelma's usual gigantic egg. I think I let out a little squeal.

Maggie May is very large, larger than Thelma. Maggie May's eggs were very small until today. Now, in one day, she has surpassed what I thought she was capable of producing. Since her eggs had been small for so many months, I just figured she would never produce larger eggs.

I wish I could post a picture of the eggs!

I cannot believe we are going to have a freeze tonight.

Your turn
Do your hens produce very large eggs or just store size eggs? How long did it take the hen to produce larger eggs after she started laying? If you don't have hens, when are you going to get hens?

Cell Phones in an Emergency

Actually, there is only one aspect of cell phones in an emergency that I want to address. How do you charge your cell phone in an emergency?

In April 2011, a tornado shut down our town as it ripped through. I had no power for five days. Other people had to wait ten days for power to be restored. Fortunately, this happened in late April when the need for air conditioning or heat was not at all necessary.

My cell phone was practically useless because of the destruction of all the towers. Yes, all of them! However, once portable towers were brought in the next day, I was back in business. Then, the lines were jammed with callers. Back in business, but, cell phones need recharging. I could plug mine in the car cigarette lighter. Other people said their car had to be running to charge their cells. They did not have enough gas to turn it on for cell charging. Gas stations were not open ! Luckily, I had 2/3 tank of gas.

Do you know if your cell will recharge plugged into the lighter or usb port if you car is newer and has ports?

Of course, there was no wifi anywhere in town. Soon, the city set up massive equipment to charge cells, run computers, and furnish wifi. Some people had no car chargers, so they had to recharge their chargers in electric outlets at the recharging station the city set up in a park.

Most of the people had dead cell phones. They plugged them into an outlet and then immediately started talking! This was very discouraging to me. I wanted to plug in my laptop and use the wifi. I ventured to suggest that maybe they could get a full charge if they turned off their phone and quit talking. Three very large women, three generations, with free cells, no teeth, and carpooling yelled at me. Am I wrong about the length of time to charge a cell in use versus charging a cell that has been turned off?

Sure, I could use my battery power in the laptop to use the internet. But, I wanted to conserve that power. I didn't and still don't have an inverter for my car. Finally, I found that BAM had wifi and paid $20 for the privilege of having a card to use their wifi. Well, I got sidetracked with laptop and wifi. Back to the cell phone.

I have a cell phone charger in the house that allows me to use an electric outlet or the usb port in my laptop. In the car I have two chargers. One is strictly "cigarette lighter to cell." The other can be used in a usb port, cigarette lighter, or in an electric outlet, plus it has multiple tips for any cell phone. These are all cheap chargers. None of them has ruined my cell phone. The only reason I have two chargers in the car is because I lost one and bought the second one for $7 at WM.

The reason I am so concerned about having the cell charged and the ability to charge it under any circumstance is not because of an over-reliance on the device. Since I am limited in my capabilities, I just want the reassurance that my cell phone always works and I have the ability to charge it under any circumstances. I worry about car problems and having to walk plus no electricity for cell recharging Of course, considering my town is a magnet for tornadoes, having a way to charge a cell phone without having electricity readily available.

Really, I want a small solar charger for my cell phone, but have not managed to afford one. Plus, I have not done any research to determine what is best, cheapest, and what I need.

Your turn
Do you have a car charger for you cell phone in your car? Do you know if the charger works when the car is not running? Must you have the ignition on to charge your cell phone? Are you like my daughter who says she always charges it at home and does not own or need a car charger? In an emergency situation without electrical power have you used the emergency cell charging services provided by your town or state? Do you have a solar charger for the cell phone? What kind?

Car and Candy and Cacophony

The car is repaired to the tune of $546. The guy said it was still making a noise, but he thought it would quit. There is something about air being in the rack and pinion. I was too ill to understand or question. Plus, he said he was going to replace a pump in the system but did not.

The garage sent a 21-yr-old to fetch me. No one ever needs directions because they have a GPS. Most people get lost even with a GPS. I asked him why he could not find me with his GPS. His phone was dying, so he turned it off until he could recharge it. My brain never needs recharging. I don't have to turn my brain off. I can read a paper map and follow written or spoken directions. I feel lucky not to own a GPS. I like my brain. Yes, he was lost. I had to talk him in to my house, then he passed right past me even though I was sitting in a chair in the yard. I told him exactly where I was then had to tell him he just passed me.

I commented to the kid that the steering was still stiff. He said it would get looser after awhile since it had just been fixed. "Actually, it was stiff when the power steering did not work well. Repairing it should make it looser, not stiffer." Maybe I am wrong? At any rate, he said nothing.

Halfway there, I became so ill, I had to stop and let him drive. I grabbed a plastic bag, waiting to throw up. When we arrived at  the shop, I sat in the car and threw up. I had taken an antibiotic with too little water and it hurt my stomach. That was five hours ago, and my stomach still hurts. I had also eaten spaghetti with a 5-blend cheese. Spaghetti and cheese comes up hard.

The people at the desk all stood at the back wall to avoid catching the dread throw up disease. (sarcasm) They looked ridiculous and so obvious. Yesterday, I was just as ill and they all stayed within a very close distance. I was coughing and could barely talk. Yesterday, I did tell them I had had pneumonia. They did not fear me yesterday.

So, I have my car and am in debt  $546. I can now go back to the doctor.

Today, I found Cadbury Chocolate Cream Eggs. They are rare, so I felt compelled to get them. And, they one I ate made my stomach hurt...sigh.

Today, the birds were quite a raucous crew--noisy and high-spirited. Yesterday, exbf and I could barely hear each other. The sound makes me supremely happy. You have to realize I have seven huge trees, a dozen smaller ones, all full of birds. Then, there are the neighbors' trees right next to my fences, so there is enough room for many birds. Usually, I find about two dozen nests in my trees.

Your turn
Any thoughts on the power steering? What is your favorite Easter candy? If the snow is gone in your neck of the woods, are the birds happy and noisy?

I Can Laugh

Today, someone told me a joke over the phone. It was funny, so I laughed. Then, I was amazed because I did not turn into  a real mess, choking and coughing. You probably know the feeling. Even though I am still definitely ill and have tightness in my chest, not going into a coughing choking fit was a sign of some sort of improvement. (With the coughing fit, I usually cannot see or stand.) Plus, I was not wheezing last night as I lay down to sleep.

I think the KFC gravy helped me immensely. Every time I have KFC gravy, I get better. Maybe it is the 17 herbs and spices. Nope, I will not try to figure out what is in the gravy.

It is 74 F, and I can laugh. I am still coughing occasionally but I can laugh without feeling like I am going to pass out from coughing. .


I had strawberries today. And, leftover spaghetti. I hope you have leftovers so you don't have to cook.

I can laugh.

Your turn
Have you ever had spells of coughing that take your breath away? Do you love leftover spaghetti?

Monday, Monday. Can't Trust That Day

So, I cannot blame it all on Monday. But, it was  good story from the Mamas and Papas.

Thanks to a follower, I had KFC today. I thought the gravy had cured me...lol. The Maggie May and Thelma will enjoy the breast scraps and skin in the morning. They gave me two eggs today.

Exbf came to help me today. Mainly, he drove me around.  Actually, he only drove me to WM and another grocery store and KFC. Driving me is important since I had to put my car in the garage. Power steering rack was leaking/broken. and there is some sort of pump that  is broken. So, it will cost me $546 will get the car back. Right now, I am still too ill to even think about it. Even writing this seems unreal since I have no safety net! 

I spent the weekend home because I did not want something to happen to my car on the road while I was feeling so miserable. So, exbf took me to the store. I had money for milk, but the extra KFC money allowed me to buy some "cheap" fruit.

Six ounces of blackberries were $0.88, regularly $1.49.
White grapes were $0.88/lb, regularly $1.89.
Bananas were $0.44, regularly $0.59.

Why did I not go to the doctor today? When I take Azithromax or however it is spelled, the doctor says the azith will remain in my system for a few days, and I should give it a chance. Sooo, I will just sit here--ill--and not have to hear that! Last night, I had trouble going to sleep because of the wheezing and pressure in my lungs.

It is 6 pm., hens are up for the night, and I am going to bed. I spent two hours resting this afternoon.

Just now, I knocked a container of blackberries out of the refrigerator, and they spilled on the floor. Sooo, tired as I am, I had to pick them up and rinse them in the colander. grrrr They were good.

All this, plus no water is getting to me. So, I am going to restart my gofundme water campaign when I have a rested brain.

Spring is nice today because the four or five days of rain has given way to mild temperatures and sunny skies with beautiful white clouds.

Your turn
Have you found any good prices on fruit or anything else lately? How has Monday been treating you?

Saving Money on Coke Products

When I purchase Coke products at Walmart, their price of $4.44 is the lowest price in town unless a grocery or drugstore has a special. Since I think that is an exorbitant price, I always price match. The last time I ran out of Cokes, there was no special. I had searched the ads  even though I was ill.

Over a week ago when I rolled my feverish body and one 12-pack of Cokes to the register, I was upset to think of paying so much--$4.44. While I was grumbling about the lack of Coke sales, the cashier told me of a special--$2.50 on 12-packs of Coke products on Friday. This special was for one day only. I had 20 minutes to get Cokes at this price. Sooo, I got 5 12-packs to stock up.

Thank you, cashier. It pays to go to the same cashiers and develop a relationship. Of course, she is nice and friendly, the reason we have a good relationship.

Once I came home, I found 2 12-packs of Coke....grrr.

Now, I have a prescription that must be taken with a carbonated drink. So, maybe it's okay.

I am so ill that I slept from Thursday at 7 pm until late on Friday. Oh, I would get up for 30 minutes on computer and then pass out again. When exbf was here on Thursday, he kept telling me to go sit and rest. He said he was very aware of my labored breathing. I was just out of bed too much.

Still, I stagger around like a drunk.

Monday, he will come again. My power steering is gone, so until then, I rest and don't drive.

Your turn
When you shop for groceries, do you have favorite cashiers who help you save money by pointing out specials that you missed? Have you found spectacular savings on Coke or Pepsi products?

Progress: Three Happy Things

Even though I am exhausted, today is feeling like a good day. The hens are loving the sunshine, too. A few weeks ago, a young friend said she might be able to come for 30 minutes each week or maybe an hour to help me. I assured her 30 minutes would be great. And, I will not allow her to do "one more thing," even if I need 40 more things just to see the end.

1) Today, she came and washed both my crockpots outdoors, plus some utensils in one. So. I am set and can cook 4 lbs of ground beef in one and five pounds of boneless, skinless breast I bought for $1.79/lb.

2) Then, my Weather Radio came. I sent in the letter they sent me to send back, but it was late. I emailed and told her how ill I had been and could I have a few days grace. She agreed and I have my weather radio.

3) As I was looking in a tiny bag I keep packed for traveling, I found the prescription of cream I lost. So, that mystery is settled!  The bag is about 6"x6"x9" and holds soap, toothbrush and paste, Q-tips and such. So, why I ever stuck a prescription in there and did not find it sooner remains a minor mystery. But, it is found! And, I can use it.

That is my day in three bullets.  It is funny how just a few things can lift a person's spirits.

4) I will add the church dinner tonight as a good thing. I do eat here, but a cooked, balanced meal is definitely a happy thing.

UPDATE: I brought enough home to feed hens for three days--lots of half-eaten baked potatoes, baked beans, slaw, remnants of pulled pork. And, there was  whole baked potato, never cut for me. I call that dinner one night.

Your turn
How was your day? Anything happen to lift your spirits? Now, I did not ask about your lifting of spirits!

Sitting in the sun a bit was good for me. Now, lying in bed will be another good thing today.

OMG LOL Heard in Doctor's Office

As I was hanging on a counter that was almost chest high, waiting to  be checked out from the gynecologist I had just seen, nothing at all was happening. Suddenly, the tiny little, young woman  officiously crossed the room, ending up catered cornered near me. She shuffled through what appeared to be mail.

 Then, she straightened up and declared loudly O M G. Yes, she said the letters, looked around to see who heard and left the way she came. When someone questioned her, she held that information and just shrieked L O L. Yes, she said the letters. SHE SAID LETTERS INSTEAD OF WORDS! She did not even laugh.

How does this happen? At least she could still utter the sounds of letters. She did not chatter out sounds like a keyboard.  I wondered if she could actually say words like the rest of us. I also wondered what job in a doctor's office could she fill? She was a grown woman, not a teen. Is this the future? I hope I don't forget how to talk. I would miss talking, just saying letters.

To be honest, I have heard people say things like, "OMG, this is important." However, in these instances, the person was just including the letters in a silly conversation, not in a professional work setting. Am I getting old?

That distraction caused me to not  focus on excruciating back pain. I am so easily distracted from back pain until enough is enough.

When I first came in to sign in, I told the receptionist I had the flu and would she rather I sat somewhere besides in a room of pregnant women. She instructed me to fill out two forms and she would see. I filled out the forms and took them back to her. She told me to sit down, wait my turn. I repeated the question, saying maybe I needed to be in a room elsewhere. Another person said I could wear one of the masks I did not see by the door. I remarked that I could not breath with one of those. They could see I was struggling to breathe, anyway. The idiot who called the back said I wanted a room because I was sick with flu and could not breathe. That's NOT what I said.

Otherwise, the doctor and his nurses were the tops. I also had a bone-density test while I was there. This was something the doctor mentioned two years ago, but neither of us followed up on it. He had a nurse arrange it in  a hurry today so I would not have to drive the 45 miles back to his office for the test.

This yeast infection was so horrid, he was shocked, gave me two weeks of tablets and two ointment prescriptions. Since I did not have the money to pay for the ointments, I had to leave them at the pharmacy. I almost cried.Oh, AGONY. I am suffering!

Your turn
Is the wave of the future speaking letters instead of the words they stand for? Would you hope that a receptionist would get an ill woman out of the pregnant women's waiting room? Have you ever had to leave a prescription behind because you could not afford it?

Lens Found

Last night, just before I went to bed, I searched for the remote that had slipped off the ottoman. Finally, after stretching to reach it and not finding it, I looked down and there was the lens, barely showing from under my chair. Ha! I never made it out of my chair before it fell out after I stepped on it the first time. The round frame that holds it is sooo bent in sooo many directions. The lens will not stay in at all.

When I read or type, my head has to be cocked at an odd angle to be able to focus on print. I hope I don't freeze this way. I can drive just fine.

The free DQ cone was quite refreshing.

The two girls left me two eggs.

It is 80 degrees F and lovely. The daffodils are all blooming around my yard. The ones caught under the snow and then the ice still look fresh.

Your turn
How is the weather at your place?

Never Before; Twice Today

Yes, today was a memorable day. But, it is not memorable in a good way. Even though I am filled full of medicine, my temperature is higher, and I feel worse by the hour. So, I am not surprised things are falling apart.

Last night as I was in bed, I knocked my glasses off to the floor. I felt to ill to move to retrieve them. So, when I awake, I stepped right on them. Even though they looked awful, I managed to straighten them a bit and put them on. I drove 30 miles to wash my hair at the church. When I left there, I noticed one lens was gone, went back to look for it and drove home.

I put the glasses on the dash and eventually, they skittered across the dash when I made a turn. They fell off the dash on the passenger side of the car. When I came home, I was too exhausted to even carry my purse inside.

After a three-hour nap, I went to bring my purse in and find the glasses. When I opened the door, things started falling out. I never could find my glasses on the seat or the floor...until I stepped backwards and closed the door. There were my glasses, stepped on multiple times in my search.

Maggie May left an egg.
My dream was pleasant.
I remembered to lock the hens in their pen.

Now, I am going back to bed and to the doctor tomorrow.

Free Dairy Queen Cone

March 16, 2015
No purchase necessary

Killer Possum

The hens are recovering nicely from their trauma of losing Patsy Cline. They each gave me one egg today. For that I am happy.

As for me, my temperature is higher. I slept fitfully last night, up and down, on the computer. I think I went to bed for the final time around 5 am, not sure. But, I slept until 4:45. I had not fed the hens, so I gave them extra rations and left the pen open.

Last night, another nightmare started, so I jerked, awoke, and got out of bed for a bit. NO MORE of that!

I think it was a possum that killed Patsy Cline because of the head that was missing. Have you heard this? When a raccoon got a hen, the head was intact, just the chest ripped open. A few weeks ago, there was a possum crossing the street to my yard, so I know there is a possum about.

Maybe I will eat raspberries and milk again. They were from last week, but still good. I am surprised.

Your turn
Do possums bite the heads off of chickens?

Death, Patsy Cline, Dream: Update

Did the genesis of this dream take place in reality, or did I just formulate it in my sickly head? I am not being unduly morbid, but this is the focus of my day--death.

First, the sad part. For the last few days, maybe a week, Patsy Cline has been unwell. I saw her on Monday walk in the safety of brambly vines. She sort of bent her knees, pulled in her head, made herself just round, with tail feathers pulled down. I knew something was wrong. The next day, Gen came and helped me get everything from under the kitchen sink. We went outdoors and the hens came around to see if there was  treat.

Gen said, "That chicken does not look right." No, she is not right. Her comb was turned to one side, almost warped on her head. She was still a ball shape. Her crop was distended. So, I figured it had stuff stuck in it. She continued to eat. I did not see her drink.

Exbf noticed her distress. But, we did nothing. I was going to get him to help me catch her. But, it got too late, so I planned to see if Tony could help me. Tony brought me water bottles filled from his hose, so I missed that opportunity. I fell in bed and rested, half sleeping, waiting on Gen to come for eggs, extra ones I had.

Their pen door was left open because I could not find my flashlight. Then, I forgot. Today, as I went out to feed them, Thelma and Maggie May ran to the side door. I fed them in their pen and called for Patsy Cline.  She was nowhere to be seen. I looked in the garbage can lying on its side, full of leaves. This is in the pen as extra shelter. Sometimes, I would find three hens stacked in there with just beaks showing if it were windy.

I thought maybe Patsy Cline could not jump in her condition to their sleeping box and just slept in the garbage can. She is a reddish hen, so she is hard to see in the leaves. My eyes were still sleepy and I was having to use the distance in my lens to bend and look. However, I saw first the red band on her leg and then the leg. I rubbed my eyes and focused to be sure of what I had seen.

She was sort of covered with leaves. When my hens have died and I saw it, they were thrashing around. So, she may have just thrashed and sort of covered herself with leaves. I don't think she was attacked. Now, I have to go remove her. With my allergies and present illness, this is not going to be easy.

Maybe I will get dressed since I have on a short gown and no panties. Being found face down in the garbage can or chicken yard, thrashing around trying to breathe would not be good and horrendous with my bare bottom the most prominent sight in the chicken pen. Sigh...I did not want to get dressed.

This is getting long, I know. But, some people like to hear my dreams.

Last night, I dreamed the most real dream. It brought me to sobs and tears and anguish in my dreams. When I awoke, the dream caused me real tears and real anguish.

The dream. From somewhere on the internet, on the tv, and radio came the very certain news that tomorrow was the end of the world. There was no reason given, but everyone on earth would die and the earth would cease to exist. (I had to stop just now to wipe away my tears and quit sobbing so I could type.) There was no explanation of any cataclysmic event on earth, beneath the earth, or from the skies, just a flat "it's over."

In my dream I cried aloud to just see my children once more and hold them and have them not be mean to me. I sobbed then, too. I did not care why everything was disappearing. I only cared to hold my children once.

I awoke and sobbed and cried again. Now, recounting it, my anguish is the same, causing me about an hour's worth of sobbing while I have tried to write these very few words about my dream. This dream will be hard to shake.

Please don't quote scripture about the hour and day being unknown. This dream had nothing to do with any religious notions. No one was going to be saved even in bunkers. It was all so definite, so final, so futile. I will delete any comment that remotely tries to put a religious twist on this. It is all about my children and my desire to see them, and my anguish. They are 1000 miles away in two different directions, so any attempt to reach them would be impossible.

Yes, I know it is Friday 13th.

UPDATE:
I managed to remove Patsy Cline without falling on my face or a have coughing spell. She had no head. The other two were terrified. They knew she was there. She had not layed an egg since August, not that fact makes this easier. I dragged her out by her foot I could see and dropped her into a garbage bag and into the trash.

Your turn
Have you ever had a dream that so devastated you? Patsy Cline and I both had our struggles this week, but I am sorry she died.

Thursday Pain

Today, exbf came to help me. He has not been here in a month, per my wishes. Snow and ice made it too much for him I thought. Even if he made it here, doubtful, He would have been trying to walk on ice with two hips that needed replacement five years ago.

This morning, he came in the door at my feet telling me, "Get up, get up! Get out of bed!" I was feeling too bad to respond harshly and loudly. Maybe hit him. Next week, I will get to the bottom of that! Well, if I feel better.

He sat in my chair when he sat today. That was so I did not have to move some boxes off the sofa for him to sit there. I was in bed, lying down or sitting on it like now. I did not lie down enough today.

He drove me to Walmart to get water. Then, he drove me to laundry and helped me get the laundry out of the machines and did the lifting in and our of the car. I have one bag of panties to hang up, and a huge bag of other white things to hang in the house. I use a trash bag because it easier to manage that a laundry basket. My torn rotator cuffs thank me. Today, I cooked pasta,  drained it and put it in the crockpot with two jars of commercially canned Spaghetti sauce. Two different brands and two different varieties worked well.

To this I added way too much meat, dehydrated celery, olive oil, and cinnamon. You are not supposed to taste cinnamon, but I put so much that it tastes like cinnamon. He raved over this and was so happy he had almost two quarts to take home. There is a bowl with almost two quarts in my refrigerator, and I am happy, too. Mine will have some tomato sauce added to tame the cinnamon. The spaghetti was not bad even with way too much cinnamon. Parmesan cheese dampened the cinnamon taste for me, hopefully a bit more tomato will drive it back.We love the meat, so "too much" is not really too much. It is just more than I usually put in this dish.

Brussel sprouts was the quickest vegetable to cook, so Brussels sprouts, spaghetti, and grapes were dinner. Yes, I checked all the frozen packages for cooking time.

No, I am not better, just more exhausted/

Oh, he helped me clean out part of my car, but I had to be out there so he would know exactly what I wanted to do with things.

He changed the pinestraw for the hens. He dumps their sleeping straw into the pen. Then, he takes the clean straw from their laying box and puts it in the sleeping box.

I did manage to get the larger, secret surprise, Crock Pot washed today to combine all that spaghetti.

Your turn
Did you ever become ill and then have to participate in work when you had just as soon stay in bed. Have you ever added too much of something, like cinnamon in my spaghetti and eaten it anyway?

Two eggs today.
Wild dreams last night.

Walking Pneumonia

I have never been so ill without any symptoms--no rattling chest, nothing coughed up, no sinus drainage, no rattling head, no enlarged lymph nodes. Well, she did make my lymph nodes hurt.Then, she made my ears hurt.

She mentioned walking pneumonia and bronchitis and how sick I was and how sorry she was. The only times I coughed before, during and after visit, I almost passed out and wanted to throw up. So, I have two injections, two prescriptions for pills and an inhaler. Plus, I am supposed to take mucinex and pseudoephedrine. I am sitting in bed and in two minutes will be lying down under the covers. Blood tests and xrays helped make the diagnosis.

The nurse gve me some sort of machine to breathe from forget name. It tasted foul. My lips started stinging and itching and swelling, so they told me to stop. My lips still feel funny. I m just allergice to everything. I still have a red mark from the tube tied to draw blood. sigh

I just wish I could afford KFC, and little bowl of the gravy.

It took me three hours to get dressed for the appointment.

Free Range Chicken Commercial

This chicken is the very color and build of Maggie May, my Buff Orphington. My neighbor behind me allows her nun friend to pick up pecans. When Maggie May sees Jane picking up pecans, she goes back there to help.

J said that Maggie May was the most beautiful chicken she had ever seen, sort of ethereal.

This commercial won me over. Watch it HERE.

Flash: Double points on Coke cap codes.

Your turn
Do you have a "free range" chicken, one that likes to wander?

WASTE--WANT NOT

 

 

Do you preserve perishable food? How do you preserve food?--Dehydrating, canning, freezing, pickling? 

Frozen Food Month

 

Now, is the time to stock up on frozen foods since this is Frozen Food Month and frozen food is on sale. I could only get three bags of Pict Sweet vegetable in the freezer. Next week, I will buy three more bags, and eat those the same week.

I bought Brussels Sprouts, Field Peas, and something else. Whatever the third item is, I don't want to have to catch half the food in the freezer as it tries to escape.

Pict Sweet frozen food is delicious.

I may purchase lots more and dehydrate it. All the sorting, cutting, washing and blanching is done for me.

Your turn
Have you found sales on frozen food this month? Do you buy frozen food? What frozen food do you buy most often.

Sunshine Saturday--Guys, skip this post!

Sure, the sun shone when it was well below freezing and there was almost a foot of snow. That was nice. But, today the sun was shining without snow and ice. Even though it got up to 65 degrees F, I was cold, in pain,  and stayed in bed late.

So, here is the deal. I am a 68-year-old woman with the cramps. I have taken Premarin (estrogen) for 25 years. If I don't, the symptoms of no estrogen are horrific. I cannot sleep, cannot think, am very mean, and don't like myself. I have hot flashes! I am so grumpy and give everyone just what they deserve--according to me. But, I have no right to give everyone what they deserve. So, I take estrogen. Oh, this way I don't run red lights continually.

When I went to the gynecologist last year, I told him to give me estrogen in the nursing home so they would not sedate me for being nasty. He assured me he had an 86-yr-old woman in the nursing home that had to have estrogen so she could stand everyone and herself. And, she wanted to be tolerable to others.

Sooo, since I have a uterus and take estrogen, I must take something (Prometrium) to "clean out" what is usually sloughed off monthly before menopause. Otherwise, I could develop cancer of the uterus. Consequently, I have pms, cramps, and am cold just like when I was naturally functioning and younger.  I always was cold every month for about five days.

(NO, I will not have my uterus removed. It is mine, behaving nicely, and I want it.)

Plus, I have had a fever with my sore throat. Miraculously, I did not have head congestion, ear pain, coughing or any kind of phlegm. It is just a sore throat. The fever that made me so cold has gone away.

No matter why I am cold, suggesting I move South is ridiculous. Everybody in the North who is complaining bitterly about their climate is not encouraged to move to a warmer climate. Since I hate intense heat, I would have to relocate twice each year. Even if I could afford to be a snowbird, I do not want that kind of life. So, lay off. Last night, I was ready to moderate comments. The comment is gone.

No, we are not prepared for last week's weather. I am not the only person who was so cold from lack of an insulated house, no winter coat, and just unprepared for what happened...no snow tires, either. People down here have worn shorts all winter, even in the freeze last week. I took  a thin, nylon coat, unlined, to NYC in the winter. My sil was shocked. He was even more shocked when I told him lots of people coats are just as thin.

I was able to take my weekly shower this afternoon, so I am much more tame with my criticism. Since I usually shower on Sunday, I went to WM to get my Sunday paper earlier tonight, Saturday. At least, I figured it out before complaining about the missing paper rack.

Your turn
Can anyone relate with the menopause dilemma of taking estrogen and then needing progesterone? You can email if you don't want to respond here.  Is the sun shining where you live?

Sleeping It Off and Dehydrating Apples

The raspberries are still not dehydrated. So, 24 hours is too long for me to wait. I am going to put them into some yogurt, let them sit, and eat later. They have a different look and feel when compared to other dehydrated food. The outside appears exactly the same on most of them. However, the little round lobes on raspberry are empty and papery, but not shrunken. The insides of the lobes are empty but look full. Strange. It seems all the flavor is concentrated on the side touching the mesh, like it pooled there as it left the upper lobes. Only a few actually "melted." These dehydrated ones might make delicious powder for raspberry tea. Maybe I can put a few dehydrated ones in cereal and see how I like that.

No, I am not drinking and sleeping it off. But, I have gotten rid of the fever. My throat is still a bit sore. I started getting ill when I slept in the too-warm apartment last weekend. I cannot sleep in a warm room without becoming ill!

Apples are on sale for $0.99/lb. this week. I eat Red Delicious. What apple would be best to dehydrate for eating out of hand or putting in pies or cakes when rehydrated?

My very first daffodil bloomed in February and survived snow and ice. I forgot to cover the tulips and forgot to look and see how they fared. But, if they were covered with snow and ice, I suppose they did not get too cold.

Your turn
What kind of apples are best for pies? Do you have flowers blooming yet?

Freezing and Ill

Thursday am:
I went out to feed the hens and went back to bed that morning. Then, I called exbf at 5:30 pm to get the weather. Other than those two things, I have been asleep all day. Oh, I went to get the mail and the box was coated in ice and not opening. I did call him at 11:30 pm and ask him to watch the news for the weather again for me. He was asleep for the night. I thought it was 6 pm.  I was so confused.

Back to the hens. The door latch to their pen was covered with ice. So, getting it open was  chore consisting of beating it and using both hands for a one-handed job. I gave them three days of corn and oats and  a pbj sandwich. I knew I was not going out again!

For the whole of Thursday, 24 hours, I did not drink or eat anything.

The raspberries went into the dehydrator on Wednesday. It is about 1:30 am, Friday right now. They still have not begun to dry. They appear to be melting down into the mesh. I won't be dehydrating anymore raspberries in any form. This is not a failure, just a lesson learned. Tomorrow, I will make a bit of raspberry jam.

The tv weather girl said we had no snow, just ice. Well, pardon me. My yard had an inch of snow. I know ice from snow. I have had a yard full of ice and did not have just ice on Thursday. Yes, there was a top layer of ice. The limbs have a full 1/2 inch of ice. So does the snow. So far, I have not lost my electricity.

If I can survive this frigid cold (18 F) night , it will be gone in 12 hours. I must have left my purse in the car. I need the one medicine I carry everywhere. But, I am too afraid of falling down to go out. After tonight, the weather will be in 50s and 60s...yay! The last time I fell on ice was in 1993. I hurt myself so badly slipping down concrete steps that I am terrified of ice now.

No eggs on Thursday. That is what happens when their water is empty.
Many dreams but all gone.

So, there is not much to tell. I am too ill with fever and sort throat to do anything but go back to bed in my 40 degree F house.

Your turn
Do you give your animals extra food so you don't have to go out? So, they will be able to keep warm in frigid weather? Have you given up chancing walking on ice?

Grocery Deals and Weather

Today, I left the house about 4 pm, planning to return before the chickens needed to be closed up in their pen round 5 pm.  I returned at 9:15, thoroughly put out for many reasons.

Another female customer in produce and I must have talked for 45 minutes as we shopped. I shared the deals in the ads that came out today. Since she lives out of the county, she does not get this bundle of grocery ads. When I suggested she look online, she said she would.

Then, I saw two more friends and we talked.

I waited 30 minutes for someone to come and help me in one department. Three different people paged someone, nothing. Finally, I gave up on that purchase.

Raspberries were $1.49 at Aldis, so I purchased six 6 ounce packages--1 to eat now, 1 to eat later, one to dehydrate and three to freeze if I don't like them dehydrated. As I left the register after paying, I decided to go look over the raspberries again. Call me silly. The raspberry bin had been refilled with boxes of raspberries. The girl working there agreed the ones just put out looked better than what I purchased/

"I will just trade these six new ones for the six I bought." Well, she got up on her little high horse, drew herself further and told me NO. She said I would have to return the purchased ones at the service desk and repurchase the newer, better raspberries. I am sure I looked at her as though she were demented. "You mean they have never left the store and I have to return them? Just because they have been paid for and bagged?" She became more adamant and bossy. So, I did as she said. I like to remain friends with the produce people.

So, I stood/sat in line for 25 minutes. Yes, I was watching the clock.  The person at the service desk finally understood what I was doing. She agreed that just trading out of the bag seemed more reasonable. With the receipt anyone could see I had just purchased this. ugh! Plus, there were ten people behind me, waiting to return something.

Pineapples were $0.99 at Aldi. Strawberries were $1/qt. I have one of each now.

Dehydrated strawberries had so many little hard seeds that I swore never to dehydrate strawberries again. What am I doing wrong? How do I de-seed strawberries?

The high today was 75 degrees F. At 4 pm it was still 74 Degrees F. By 8 pm it was 44 F with a strong wind that whipped my hair about. I had not worn socks, only thin pants,  a scooped neck  t-shirt with no sweater or bra. Yes, a bra keeps off some of the chill.

When I was ready to leave, I asked over the course of 30 minutes for someone to help me get my groceries in the car.

I spent the next hour dealing with the car problems. I am too tired to relate those tonight. And, my feet are cold.

Your turn
How can I dehydrate strawberries without having those seeds that turn to stone? The strawberry shrinks, so the outside of the strawberry is solid seed.
Here in N AL we will have ice covering everything. Are you ready? Staying home?

Mosquitoes?

source

It is 11 pm and 63 degrees F, and  a mosquito stalked my face as I swatted it away. Finally, it was where I could slam it against my body instead of swatting the air or clapping it between my hands. So, I hit it hard right in my solar plexus. Since it was an open-handed blow, it hurt  bit, but I could still breathe. Yuck, I have a big black spot on the front of my coat, even after I wiped it away.

I say it is too early for mosquitoes! Plus, it is going to freeze in 24 hours, a hard freeze! I was dreading another freeze, but maybe it will kills mosquitoes and larva.

Your turn
Have you gone from freezing and now have mosquitoes trying to bite you?

Oops!

On Monday, I  managed to drop food on the floor quite a few times. I dropped a whole pint of dehydrated grape tomatoes on the floor. This gives me the opportunity to see how they will rehydrate before I feed them to the chickens. I didn't just drop the dehydrated tomatoes, I ran into the refrigerator with the tray of 3 pints of dehydrated tomatoes.


Then, I knocked my plate with chocolate chips off the dehydrator as I hurried to get back to the tv. The chickens won't get these. I wonder if raccoons would like these.


Then, I tried to put scraps into the trash bag. When I inadvertently kicked the bag, I managed to drop it all on the floor.


Cause of clumsiness? Prometrium makes me premenstrual.


On a better note, I have 2 pints of dehydrated grape tomatoes in a pint jar. It appears the other four pints in the dehydrator will fit in the pint jar, too. That would make six pints of grape tomatoes in a pint jar.


I cut each grape tomato from stem to blossom end. Some of the grape tomatoes seemed rather large, so the halves were often 1/2 inch thick. After dehydrating, each half is absolutely flat and very thin. It amazes me to see how much they shrink.


Maybe these will end up being tomato powder after they meet my coffee bean grinder. Maybe they will end up in soup just as they are.


I have a recipe that calls for sundried tomatoes. Maybe these will work instead of the expensive bottle of sundried tomatoes. Plus, there will be no sulfites in these to make me breathless and dizzy and unable to see clearly.


Your turn
Have you had clumsy days? Do you know the cause? Who has dehydrated grape tomatoes? How did you use them?

I'm Back and Shopping

Written on Sunday


While I was in Huntsville, my sweetie was talking about what he got at Aldi's. I came home and looked at the ad. Just as I thought, Aldi's has many more good ads for produce on the first of the month. This ad came out last Wednesday, so the coming ad on Wednesday will probably have good sale ads, too.




Sunday night, I bought three pints of grape tomatoes for $0.99/pint. The regular price at Walmart where I price-matched the tomatoes was $2.48. By putting the halved tomatoes very close together, I managed to get three pints on one tray. Yes, I am running the dehydrator with only one tray filled. It costs $0.06/hour to run my nine-try dehydrator.




Usually, when I find the bargains I buy everything I am going to buy for the week and for dehydrating. Then I cannot get it all in the refrigerator and cannot process it quickly. This time, I only bought the three pints. If I could remember what else was in the ad, I would list it here.


Tomorrow, I will go back for more and process it immediately. Then, on Tuesday, the last day of the ad, I will buy again. I still have not gone through the ads and made a list.




My plan was to stay several days in Huntsville, per sweetie's invitation. However, he did not call me until about 4 pm. So, I would not come up until Saturday. I would have had to get up an be ready to walk out of his apartment at 6:30 am. No thanks. His apartment key locks the door from the outside, so I cannot just leave and turn the lock on the way out. ugh




As I headed home, going the way I always have, I ran into a detour. Then, another. As I drove the lonely road next to the airport with commercial farms on the other side of the road, I could see the interstate beyond the farms. Soon, I finally saw a house and then another and another. Next was a sign: Road Closed. My heart sunk.




I went into the driveway of a home with five vehicles. They were cars that were late model and able to run. I honked for 15 minutes. They didn't even bother calling the police to me. At least I would have gotten directions!


So, I went the other direction on County Line Road and spotted McDonalds and decided to buy some energy and stress reliever and get directions. The manager knew exactly where I needed to go. Sooo, I finally was on the interstate. During this whole ordeal, there was a steady rain that did not help my sense of security.


It's almost 2 am and still I have not gotten all the wet laundry from the car.


For dinner on Saturday night, he heated a tamale for each of us and sautéed zucchini. Later, we ate strawberries. Even later, I had an apple and blueberry yogurt. Sunday morning, I scrambled five of my hens' eggs with his cheese, and he brought out precooked bacon. While I was cooking the eggs, he took the things I had used and washed them. He is a  man unafraid of dishpan hands.


I got three loads of laundry done--black pants and socks, 5 purple sweatshirts and blue plaid throw,
assorted ruined t-shirts I wear under sweatshirts. I forgot the whites at home!




The hens got to forage for about an hour today. They seemed happy to be free. Since Tony was not in town Saturday for me to give him their food, I was perplexed as to where to leave the food outside either of our homes. Finally, I just put it in a square bucket, popped on the lid and left it in the pen. Raccoons could not reach it to breach it. And, I knew the hens could not. Now, I will never again carry food to Tony's house. He brought them some sort of scraps. I wonder what.


It is going to rain all week and we will have a hard freeze later in the week. Snow will be gone after the rain.


Your turn
Do you find that there are better things and more things on sale the first week of the month?