# July 2014 Prep Journal and To-Do List



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

July means we're headed into the 2nd half of 2014...how have your preps been going so far this year? Are you ahead of the game, on track or getting a bit behind? This half way point is a good time to take stock and see where you stand. This could mean taking updated inventories of your pantry and freezer contents, addressing some urgent prep need, or just looking over your to-do lists to see what still needs done and planning how to do it.

Remember, breaking down those big goals into little steps makes reaching the goals more manageable. Lists can help organize your thoughts and help you see where to place your focus. Feel free to post your to-do lists and update your progress throughout the month. Join in the conversation as we all encourage each other in our prepping efforts. It's a friendly bunch here, and new posters to this monthly thread are always welcome.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

My July To-Do List (and some jobs that will take all summer):

1. Get the new water softener system installed and remodel/repair/rebuild pump house.
2. Finish fixing any and all plumbing problems in house while water is still off, double check afterward.
3. Continue weeding, watering, mulching, planting and harvesting in the garden and around the house (this is an ongoing, all summer and probably into fall type job).
4. Keep working on laying pallets for flooring in the barn aisle and feed/tack stall.
5. Harvest any rain water possible, but heading into drought season means probably will need to start using stored water instead.
6. Mow lawns and pastures.
7. Complete my community fair volunteer jobs - ribbons, garden dept, etc.
8. Build new steps and small deck off front door.
9. Finish laying patio bricks off back door.
10. Switch vehicles so ds can work on my pickup.
11. Continue to work on interior of house on hot days - lots of projects there, such as painting kitchen cabinets, installing kitchen nook wainscoting, scrubbing walls, painting ceilings and guest room, much more - this is another multi-month job.

Okay, that's enough to get me started, lol! Who's next?


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Screaming hot here today but relief predicted for tomorrow. Was 100 yesterday. Sure glad we decided to open the pool this year. Garden loves this heat. Picked 5# beans yesterday-our main course for supper. Picking cherry tomatoes and lots of big yellow ones on the plants. Checked on price of 1/2 beef to share with son and almost passed out...$850-1000!!!! For a half. Good grief. Guess we won't be doing that. Son says he'll just go deer hunting more often this year and get his limit as they really like venison. Luckily for me Pa likes vegetarian meals. Big pot of homemade baked beans and he's happy! We have a great meat market here in town and 10 hens are on death row waiting for the new girls to start laying. 9 dozen eggs in frig right now so went and bought a bunch of ice cube trays and will freeze. Read how to dehydrate them in the Excalibur...anyone tried this????

DIL home safely from Guatemala. This is the week they pick up their goats which will be boarding here. Hope they realize their chances for getting them back will be slim with other DIL/son living here as they are goat crazy. Only reason they don't have a zoo is my firm foot down. They never seem to remember the part about buying hay and frozen hoses.

Finished second quilt. Of course I stabbed my finger badly and then remembered reading that spit would take the blood out....it did! Of course it had to fall on a white block....

Guy coming over to look at hay field this am. Would be a nice payday if he decides to buy the crop. Otherwise we'll need to get out and brush hog. Pa has done a good job with his thistle patrol.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July weekend. Gas $3.48 here so we aren't going anywhere. Although I do remember gas was $3.99 this time last year as son and I took road trip to KS.


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## NBC3Mom (May 14, 2005)

Green beans are coming great this year. Gave a bagful to DS's family and one to our neighbor. She has been sick with some sort of a chest/lung issue for several months and he just had eye surgery. Needless to say, they didn't get a garden in this year. We plan to share - DH always plants plenty to give away. 
Had fried cabbage, parmesan Zucchini, Greek green beans and homemade bread for dinner on Sunday. What a feast! 
July to-do-list
Wash windows
Keep weeding, planting, harvesting the garden
Freeze/can veggies that we don't eat or give away
Ironing/mending when weather is too hot or wet to work outdoors
Bake bread/cookies/zucchini bread for vacation in MI
Empty 2 rain barrels into 5 gallon buckets so that the barrels fill back up in anticipation of the dry weather that is sure to come soon. 
Lie on the hammock and read a book just because I can!


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

I'm keeping my June list and added *bold*:

1. Keep up with the garden. *Replant what hail destroyed.*
2. Finish spring cleaning.* Do better job of keeping up with daily/weekly cleaning.*
3. Finish sewing projects already in the works. *Don't start any new projects.*
4. Write letters/send cards to friends/relatives especially those who are ill or have suffered loss. 
5. Get back to exercise interruped by vacation and cold crud. *This I'm doing.*
6. Pay closer attention to budget especially groceries and miscellaneous.
7. Spend more time in prayer. 
*8. Keep safe room ready at all times.*

I took a closer look at the garden this morning. I think the only thing to do at this point is wait and see what survives and recovers and what doesn't. I think the potatoes will do okay because they'd just finished blooming. The green beans are my biggest question as they are really beat up but the blooms are still on the plants. Its not too late to plant beans so I have that option. The pinto beans are climbers and really took a beating and its too late to replant so I'll just have to adopt a wait and see for them. I think (hope) the tomatoes will recover. 

I have a large area of the garden well mulched with grass clippings and they look so funny -- kind of like bubbled -- because of where they are flattened where hail hit and then not flattened right next. We actually are very very lucky because just 10 miles south the hail was baseball to grapefruit size. A lot of windows, siding and roofs were destroyed. All across the state there is a lot of damage to crops, homes, businesses, public property, etc. from tornadoes, high winds, hail and flooding.

Today is very windy so I've been able to be outside without mosquitoes bothering me much. Of course, I had on jeans and a long sleeved shirt! Still the mosquitoes were not getting in my face or buzzing my ears. I hung out a load of clothes, picked up two bushel baskets of downed sticks, checked the garden, swept storm debris off the sidewalk and pulled a few weeds without getting bitten.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

DH says he started putting lipstick on our pig this past weekend, lol. IE he repaired the boards on the shed that needed replaced. DD and I primed all the new wood, now we are waiting for the storms to come through and cool us down so we can prime the old wood and paint. Should get to start on it tomorrow afternoon or Thursday.

Found the things DD needs for camp at Goodwill. A rain coat and some more shorts/capris. Got home and sprayed the coat with waterproofing. So it should be ready to go.

I have DH's new hunting jacket almost cut out. Still need to piece the lining, be we are having a "Welcome Back Kotter" break! DD discovered this old show and has fallen in love with it! Sure beats everything on the Disney Channel. Haven't been sleep well lately, so I'm not going to do any more then cut it out. Sewing doesn't came naturally to me, so if my mind isn't 100% and make nasty mistakes.

So on my "to do" list this month...
Paint the shed
Make up DH's hunting jacket
Paint my bedroom
Clean the 1st floor - left over from June
Get kids to and from camps
Get hubby to and from airport....he's going to China for the month 
Babysit my parents dog - they are going on a long wished for train trip through the Canadian Rockies!
Start working on next school year - all the curriculum is here now. Just need to work myself through it and plan how to get it all done without over stressing ourselves. (So much amazing curriculum....so little time)


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## BoldViolet (Feb 5, 2009)

I've only had my blackberry plants for 2? maybe 3 years? I can't remember.

Anyhoo - last year, I had enough for one cobbler. This year, I have more than enough for SEVERAL. I'm up to like 6 pints or so, with at least 2-3 more days of harvest left to go. 

So I am going to try my hand at something new - I am going to make preserves/jelly/jam with them this year. I've never done this, and I've never done a hot water can bath, so I'm pretty excited. 

I'm hoping next year, I will have enough to try my hand at making wine.


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## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

Wow, everyone is so busy! My list would be so long, you would go to sleep reading it. Many of the same things you all have on your lists.

Must work on the basement to make it liveable before winter. It is the coolest place in the house, so welcome during the heat of the day.

A good friend who lurks here and sometimes posts, told me her hubby checked their stored water recently and found the bottles had lost almost half their volume while still sealed. The plastic bottles were shrunken. Have to rethink saving that for long times and cycle it out while getting new cases every couple months. Who would think it would 'leak' through the plastic bottles? 

Trying to keep some broody hens on the nests to get more chickens, but having some difficulties. Moving one back to her original nest area tonight and hope it works. I really need to thin down the older chickens!

I need to plant some beans as the peas have just about had it in this heat. Not too late here to plant beans, either. If you soak them a day before planting they sprout faster, so I'll do that tonight.

More canning and dehydrating of the free to us veggies and fruits, every little bit helps. We've shared a lot with our children's families and the shelves are looking a bit sparce, so I need to do some restocking.


Ohio Dreamer, I'm SO impressed that you sew well enough to make a hunting coat! Wow. I can barely put together a quilt square or do mending! Must learn to crochet/knit before I'm too old to see, too.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

So hot here I don't even want to go to bed. I'm on the computer in the dark, light bulbs put out too much heat! 100 today, we'll have more to come, but we're totally not used to it yet. Work is as cold as a meat locker, it's always a shock to then be in unrelenting heat. 

So, stop complaining <g> at least our garden didn't get hit by hail. *Ann*, hope everything rebounds. Can't hurt to plant more beans. 

Our garden is much slower than last year. Not sure if it's that the days have been a little cooler ('til now!) or that we started everything from seed this year instead of buying starts. Just getting snow peas and shelling peas. Harvested the 4 broccoli heads. Broccoli has never grown well for us so this year we weren't going to grow any, DH throws in a few seeds and the 4 plants are incredible! Wish I had several rows...

As for July lists. My only goal is to get through my families visit. Did I post that my parents 80th birthdays are this year and they and my sister's and their families are visiting for a week for a celebration? It was my idea, what was I thinking? It's going to be in the 90's and no A/C. And some of them have never been to Oregon so every day is planned with trips. Canoeing on alpine lakes, a trip to Crater Lake and on and on. Lots of cleaning and shopping ahead for me. 

It is probably a good thing the garden's behind. I have 5 days after they leave to regroup and catch up on canning and freezing.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

*BoldViolet *- thanks for reminding me to go check the blackberries and marionberries! I forget they are ready so early here, I'm used to August for blackberries in Maine. Our raspberries are just coming in, it's their 2nd year so enough to pick and stuff in your face everyday, but not enough for jam yet.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Guys- I need to be talked off of the bridge......I'm about to jump.

We bought that new farm... cash.....leased the house to the lady until the end of July.....giving her plenty of time.......Now she is having sellers remorse and is calling bawling and "let me run this by yous" 

So.....we now know...... we are probably going to have to evict her.....OMG!! Can you believe this.....I can't!

Bottom line...... the money was wired into her account and documents signed.

I have not slept a wink.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

OH NO! TDD, that's horrible.....HUGS!! Hope you don't notice that while I'm hugging you I'm slipping a bungee cord onto the back of your jeans.....just in case you jump


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## NBC3Mom (May 14, 2005)

TDD - that's awful. We put an offer in on the perfect place when we moved to IN. The owners decided that night not to sell. No signed papers and no money exchanged, so that was the end, but your sell was finalized. 
Sounds like you have legal ownership and it will all work out, but that doesn't make it any easier!


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## Jo (May 11, 2002)

Ok this is not your fault, so don't feel bad. Can your lawyer talk with her ? Prayers and were thinking of you.


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## crobin (Mar 17, 2014)

OMG, TDD, that is so awful. Don't jump, hang in there. Want us to beat her up for you? 
My July list is fairly short, take care of the garden, put up everything I can put my hands on, cull chickens. Think I am going back with a white leghorn for eggs, DS will not eat brown eggs, but love my barred rocks. Have a good day everyone.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Oh no TDD! Here's crossing my fingers that if you are firm, don't even hesitate a second or she may feel she has a chance, she will make a plan and get out by the end of the month with no legal intervention. Don't let her make you feel bad, she's not destitute.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Well, got a coat of "lip stick" on DH's "pig", lol, and us too. Came in to scrub up and had a voice mail......the hospital - never good news  

After 2-1/2 years of "issues" with my left breast, now my right is "acting up". Not sure if I should tell DH or not. I'm going in for a second look 5 hours after I drop him off at the airport for his month in China. If I tell him before he goes he'll fret all the way there (he doesn't sleep on planes....so it would be 26+ hrs of fretting!). If I wait till he lands, I'll have solid information and a plan of action (if one is needed). The nice thing with a "call back" is they don't let you leave till they have a Dx. I know if I don't tell him he'll be mad when he finds out that I held out....but he'll have a month to get over it  I have a few days to figure it out.... Already have a follow-up with my surgeon the day after the call-back, so if things need to happen plans can be made soon.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Prayers being offered for you Ohio. For TDD too, please don't jump!!!!!!!! Hopefully firm words from your attorney will take care of the problem.

It was cold this a.m. 54 degrees. Can you believe that -- its July -- its Iowa -- its supposted to be 90 degrees with humidity about the same! Of course, this is much more comfortable, but its SUMMER and I want HOT before we're back in the deep freeze.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I love the lists already posted! Feel free to post your own, any of you that are lurking, lol! 

*TDD*, I'm holding onto that bungie cord Jen stuck to you with all my might! Do NOT give an inch on the deadline for the former owner to be out, no matter what. It could set a legal precedent. Hugs and pixie dust sent your way from the great state of Washington!
*Jen*, I wouldn't tell him if it's going to make him fret all the way to China. There's nothing he can do, and that is going to make him feel even worse. Get the tests you need, get the results, and then tell him. Hugs, prayers AND pixie dust headed your way, too. Here's hoping it's nothing to worry about. :angel:

I spent yesterday doing absolutely NOTHING. It felt so decadent! I caught up on my sleep, played with the dog and cat, read a couple good books, and just gave myself the day off. It was 92 in the shade and even in the house it was mid-70s, except in my bedroom where the AC is located. It's cooler today, so after working on fair stuff this morning, I'm making a run into town to do errands and trade rigs (for the one with AC  ), and tonight I'm supposed to sort ribbons into department boxes with a couple friends. I'll weed my fair garden and see what I'm going to need to do to have it ready for fair in 2 weeks, staple up the theme for the garden dept and sweep/dust my dept. Anything to help get it ready early. I have a new judge this year - I hope I work as well with him as I did with my last judge, who is now a fair commissioner and can't be a fair judge, too.

Well, day's a-wastin' - have a good day, all!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Jen....UGH! prayers for you!

Maybe you all can have a laugh....Here is Gopher on the Love Boat....I mean my son;-)

He'll be home in a couple days!!!:happy:


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## VICKI1 (Jul 23, 2004)

My July "Must do" list is to clean and reorganize my cellar before putting anything else in it. I also plan to keep up on the weeds in my garden beds.
Ohio...you are added to my prayer list.


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

*Vosey* - your garden sounds like it about on pace with ours! We are just starting to get snow peas & raspberries, we're eating lettuce, kale, & spinach, and we have tiny zucchini, tomatoes, & peppers.

*Vicki* - when you finished with your cellar, you are welcome to come straighten out mine!

*Jan* - we have had gallon water jugs leak but never the small bottles.

*BoldViolet* - water bath canning is a breeze! Just follow the instructions and ask questions.

*Jen* - prayers for you! Telling DH or not telling him is a tough one. When does he leave?

*TDD* - do not give an inch!! If you have to, call the sheriff to get her out!!

*Ann* - hope that your garden is able to revive! Most things are pretty tough and will come back.

*NBC* - it's good that you have enough to share with the neighbors!

*Mutti* - that price for beef sounds awfully high! What does that work out to per pound?

*manygoats* - I'm sure you've probably mentioned this before but what do you do to filter your water?

*crobin* - what does your DS have against brown eggs? Can you get some white egg shells to show him & act like that's where his eggs came from?!!

*mpillow* - your son looks very distinguished in his uniform!


On my list for this month:

keep up with garden and canning

paint the garage in portions - only have one corner half way done so far

keep sorting, clearing out, and selling things from the basement - hoping that ebay sales pick up

continue to wash windows, wash blinds and curtains

wash winter coats so that they can be sprayed with waterproofing

work with new pastor who starts this Sunday


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

*mpillow* - Gopher!! Love it. Sound like your boy has a new nickname :drum: Maybe get him a stuffed gopher for Christmas?

*Mutti* - yep, that's about what we paid for our half. $3.09 a pound. I can't even get "junk" ground beef for that at the local grocery store. So getting GOOD (IE Grass Fed) ground beef, burgers, roasts, steaks, etc for that is a deal for us. Steaks are running $8-12 a pound at the store....and they aren't good.

Cool thoughts for all of you sweltering. Cold fronts coming through here tonight....it will be only in the upper 60's tomorrow!!! That's my FAVORITE temp region. Perfect for painting 

Well, DH came home in a great mood. He was cracking jokes and giggling (not normal for him these days), so I told him about my phone call (I prayed that his mood make my choice obvious). We got to talking about it and realized I should be done with my testing before he get's on his second flight (Chicago to Shanghai)...so he won't have 26 hrs of fretting. He'll know what's up before he leaves the country.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Thanks all.......I am just exhausted and we have to go in 2 hrs early in the morn.

We have the ownership..........she is gonna have to get a grip. She started out with "my son moved away"....my remark was....."and my son died.....what's your point?" Dh is Ballistic and I mean BALLISTIC.... he is going down there tomorrow. It has truly been "one of those weeks". One of our big trucks went down and it cost $250 to get it towed...

I had 2 BIG cobblers to make tonight.... which was the last thing I wanted to mess with........OMG.

Jen - Hon....Prayers..... you know you HAVE TO get it checked quick.


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## Oma2three (May 5, 2012)

Jen and Texasdirtdigger ,I will lift you both up in prayer!


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

{{{{{{{{{{{cyber Hugs All}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

TDD - I know you mentioned that you had taken truckloads down to the new place. Does she have anything left there?


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## NBC3Mom (May 14, 2005)

Cindy in NY said:


> (*BoldViolet* - water bath canning is a breeze! Just follow the instructions and ask questions.)
> work with new pastor who starts this Sunday


*Cindy* - our new pastor starts on Sunday, too. Previous pastor of 7 years literally walked away during Holy Week. He wrote a letter to the congregation telling us that he had been questioning his faith for quite some time! Prayers for your new pastor as well as ours.

*ALL -* I had been doing water bath canning for several years on my flattop range when I read that this is not recommended due to the amount of heat generated under the pot. I love my stove but really want to resume canning. Any suggestions?


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

NBC3Mom - I'm confused who's asking about flat top stove canning, but if you've been doing it for years no worries. 

When I started canning I had a flat top and a smaller AA canner. There are 2 issues, the weight and heat can crack the stove top and some flat tops cycle off if they get too hot. I hated the stove so decided to risk it. It worked fine. It appears to be very stove dependent, and I suspect the warning on every canner not to use on a flat top stove is a CYA warning just in case. I found a website where people had called their stove manufacturer and some of them had said they were fine to can on, some not. 

Have a great day all!


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## crobin (Mar 17, 2014)

Good morning, all. Prayers going out to Ann and TDD. Canning more pickles today. Did nine quarts of bread and butter yesterday, have 5 gallons of dills brining and 8 pounds of sweet gerkins just about ready. Starting another batch of bread and butter and hamburger dills. Hoping to get to Stonewall for fresh peaches next week. Hope everyone has a good day.


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## brendafawn (Oct 15, 2013)

Still have a lot to do on or new place. Getting our in door bathroom started this month. Starting the bedroom also. Will be glad to have a bed room. Living in one room is trying but we are doing it. I love my little cabin. I am designing every thing my self. We have the barn almost done so that will be on my list this month, to Finnish the barn. I have my female donkey about ready to give birth. She is so sweet. She is very protective of the goats. My bottle calves are getting big. we plan on breeding them and have a few cows. Maybe three heifers and our bull. I will be planting my garden this month since I couldn't have one because of a broken ankle. Cast comes of this month. I do have a variety of tomato plants. I planted a lemon boy this year. I have heard good things on then. And also had managed a few squash before i broke the ankle. I am going to invest in a pressure canner. I have always froze my vegetables, but would like to start canning them. Prayers to all. God bless


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## lindamarie (Jul 9, 2013)

happy 4th all!!!! Hope to everyone is doing well. I'll probably have to make at least 6 pots of coffee so that I can stay awake to read and get caught up. 

did some deep down soul searching after the funeral. I really needed the time to process everything. There was so much going on even before the arrests. Our granddaughter had gotten mrsa, and blood clots in her lungs and spent a month in ICU after being airlifted to the neighboring state. She had only gotten a clean bill of health about a month before everything else. Sometimes the snowball starts rolling and its hard to stop it.

so everyone gave a great holiday. I need to work on my June and July list as the only that really got done in June was me. I took care of me. Oh, and along with my list I have yogi news, or at least mrs yogi.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Woke up to 51 degrees this a.m. Ridiculous for Iowa in July!!!

We went to town to shop today and it was crazy busy everywhere. In Aldis the aisles were so packed you couldn't get through. Had to wait and follow the leader! All the stores were crazy busy. Dh ended up sitting in the car most of the time. We went to 2 computer stores, U.S. Cellular, Sears, Walmart, Aldis, HyVee, Dollar General, the Library Bookstore and last to Kum & Go for gas. I wanted to go to the thrift stores but ran out of time and energy.

Tomorrow we must get the blueberry bushes planted. I pruned them last night so they are ready to go in the ground. Well actually past ready which is why I got them so cheap!


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

*Jen*, so glad to hear you'll have the test results in time to share with your hubby before he makes his long flight to China. Waiting is the worst, much worse than knowing. Hugs, sistah!
*mpillow*, love the pic of "Gopher" - he was always one of my favorite Love Boat characters, lol. Your son looks so handsome in his whites. I bet the little old ladies on the cruises love him, and not a few of the younger ones swoon over him, too. 
*Ann*, thank you for the reminder about planting blueberry bushes - I still have the ones I bought so cheaply in the Spring sitting outside by the horse trailer, still in their little gallon sized plastic sacks. I had to run out there and see if they were still alive - some of them looked pretty puny when I bought them. One looks dead and gone, but the rest are looking anywhere from "hanging on" to "absolutely marvelous". Guess I'll be digging holes this afternoon.
*Cindy*, I strain the rain water collected in buckets through my old milk strainer with a couple milk filters...that gets out the stuff that blows off trees, misc bugs and most of the algae. If there's still visible green in the water, I'll add some bleach, otherwise it depends on whether the water is going to be filtered for drinking water, used for toilet flushing, or added to the 55 gallon barrels and 275 gallon tanks. If it's destined for drinking/household water, it goes through the Berkeys (yes, I use them, but will be replacing the filters with Doultons or similar soon, as they are failing). For just household water that will either be boiled or at least heated well, I use the older Berkeys that no longer pass the red food coloring test and add some bleach to the water in the upper chamber. Drinking water goes through the Berkeys that still pass, and I use red food coloring to make sure, as they can fail unexpectedly. Flush water can be anything from straight rain water to water used for laundry, dishes, etc. And the storage water in the barrels and tanks doesn't get any further filtering until it's time to use it, and only then if it's going for drinking or household use. Whew...that was clear as mud, lol! All that is going to change next week...more on that in a minute.
*LindaMarie*, you will notice I'm using your FULL HT name here, and If I knew all 3 names, I'd use them!!!! How can you even THINK of posting that you have more news about Yogi and Mrs Yogi.....and then have the nerve to leave us hangin'!!!! LOL, you are KILLIN' me here, galpal! I'm dying to know what is up - did you shoot a bear? Did a bear eat Ricky?  Inquiring minds want to know, lol. Oh, and about the list - I think your June list was perfect, just the way it was...you needed to take care of yourself. Know that there are a lot of us praying, sending you positive thoughts and pixie dust, and just generally wishing you well in every way. :angel:

I see we have our first hurricane of the season, Arthur - do all of you in the hurricane prone areas have your preps in place? Here's a reminder to store water, food that doesn't require cooking, and enough gas to get out of the way of any big storms headed your way!

Okay, the big news is that I'm getting my water softener/iron removal system installed next week! :sing: Goodness, I'm not going to know what to do with myself, being able to turn on a faucet, step under a real shower, or flush the toilet without a bucket, not to mention being able to do laundry in the automatic washer without bucketing water into it! :stars: I have discovered that I can very easily live without running water, but I will appreciate having truly GOOD running water so much more for having been without it. When I told Glen, the well guy, that I hadn't had running water since early December, he told me his wife would NEVER be able to handle that, and that he was impressed! I figured he probably really meant shocked at my hillbilly ways, but that's okay, lol, I'm a ******* and proud of it. 

I finally got to town yesterday. Didn't get to do all I had on my list because I needed to be at the fairgrounds by 4pm, but I got the most important stuff done. Dropped off the property tax payment I wrote out last month, paid for the trailer and Nissan p/u tabs across the hall there, mailed bill payments, bought dog food, oyster shell, and groceries, and swapped rigs at my ds's place. I dropped off their quilt and K's BD gift (haven't seen them since her BD  ), but they had already left for the beach so I didn't get to see them. 

Made it to the fairgrounds with 10 minutes to spare, stashed my groceries in the fridge and freezer in the 4-H dept, and then the 3 of us sorted ribbons into boxes. My main job was figuring out how many ribbons all the animal depts needed...that is a headache and a half each year, as you have to figure out how many kids, how many animals, how many classes the animals are in, and then which dept supers use what kind of ribbons - some like rosettes, some like flats, some want both. And then there are the horses - they show 2 different days, but have fitting and showing both days, so you have to remember to double up on the showmanship ribbons, some are in the barn, some are not, who does herdsmanship, who doesn't, blah, blah, blah. 3 hours later, we had it all figured out and the ribbons boxed up for each dept...which means now we wait for a couple weeks and find out how many boxes we got wrong, lol! I brought home a bunch of donated ribbons to recycle into something useable, too. All my peas and beans in my garden there were eaten by rabbits - I'll have to remember to put up wire around the plot next year. Other than that, it looked pretty good - not too many weeds to pull. I'll just need to put down the shavings around the plants and add the signs identifying each plant in the garden, and it'll be ready for fair time, too.

I had planned to mow today, but can't get the mower to start. I even tried the other mower, and can't get either one to run. Grr. So, I changed plans and cleaned out my old rabbit shed instead. The chickens have been in there (it's attached to their chicken house and run), so there was chicken manure everywhere, plus it was just messy from being used as a catch-all. 

I got it all cleaned out, threw the droppings all over my flowerbeds, and nearly got hit on the head with 3 fresh eggs! Why would a hen decide that the top of the triple decker rabbit hutches would be a good place to lay her eggs? :shrug: Sheesh. After scraping up the broken eggs and feeding them to Muttley, I made sure to give her a new nest in an old planter I'm not using this year. Hopefully, she'll use that one on the floor or the ones in the chicken coop and chicken stall now. Usually when they start hiding their nests like that, they want to raise a family.

Well, guess those blueberries won't plant themselves. Better get to work, but first I want to wish all of you a Happy Independence Day! Thank you to all veterans who have helped to keep us free, and may all of you setting off fireworks stay safe.


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## lindamarie (Jul 9, 2013)

there was a black bear attack about 5 hours from where we live the other day. A woman was just about scalped then also injured on arms chest. A female bear, cub nearby. I can't remember if I mentioned it but our youngest daughter was surprised by a female about 2 miles from our home. Again a cub nearby. DD said as quick as the mama and cub appeared they were gone. She was hightailing it to her car, could see her car and hears mama coming up behind her. She said she knew not to run but was so close to her car. Have been dealing with DNR or lack of. Here's their take....its illegal to shoot a female. The idiots who fed the bears a few miles from me get mad when said bears cause some damage. They fed them, have damage and THEY get a trap. We have them at the door, on the roof, and on the road between our home, gate and car. Do we get a cage? NO!! if we shoot without a permit we get fined and arrested. Needless to say no one goes outside anywhere without a weapon. Ever hear of that movie zombieland and all the rules. We have bearland. Will probably have to count the change jar for bail money. DNR did ask if we were sure it was a bear that was stalking my daughter. I asked them if they wanted me to get a picture or video next time. Their response was...no need to get rude.:smack


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Dumb question - I see DNR a lot on HT posts - are they game wardens in other states? All I can think of is do not recuscitate (Sp?)!


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## lindamarie (Jul 9, 2013)

dept of natural resources


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

I used to have flat top stove and while Kenmore repairman was her doing something about freezer I asked him about canning on it. He said no problem but recommended setting canner on stove, then filling with water. You would definitely crack the glass with dropping anything that heavy on the top. I only used the smaller AA canner but did can on it for over 10 years with no problems. 

When I got my new propane stove I sought out one with extra heavy burner grates and it has no problems with my double decker AA canner.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

I'm very thankful we don't have any bear problems here! LM that's getting out of control. Only our gophers are out of control....put a big dent in our potatoes the last 2 days. I think we're still OK, I should still be able to can and dehydrate enough for a year, we don't eat potatoes all the time. We've set the traps but usually they just like to fill them with dirt. 

I'm going to pick kale this morning while it's still cool, get the dehydrator going. Then I think it's a good day to go to town as traffic should be light. Get home before the drunks are out. Will have to remember not to speed, Sheriff's dept will be on heavy patrol near the lake and river. 

We just put our old house in town on the market, need to go touch it up now that the renters are out. They totally killed the back yard!! Grass, roses, rhododendrons, raspberries etc all dead. And all overgrown. Luckily that was part of the lease so we have their hefty security deposit to cover it. Per DH the house itself looks good. 

Hope you all have a fun and safe 4th!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

LM make sure you keep notes about your calls to DNR (your cell should have sent/received call list)....In Maine if a bear is pressuring "food production" it can be done away with especially if it enters a building...such as a chicken coop.....The game wardens do come and investigate BUT are fair about it.

If you have called them 10 times with no "physical help" offered I'd start shooting a 12 guage shotgun over top....if they are close enough the muzzle blast will be something they wont "like"...we do this to our bulls when the start pushing fences....if that doesnt help then my aim would be true.

Rain rain go away....


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Finally a "July" day. Temps are moving up to the 80 degree mark and its sunny. Humidity is not too high and there's a nice breeze so its nice out. 

We got the blueberry bushes planted. I had to dig out two huge catnip "bushes", a weed tree, hollyhocks, grass and weeds before I could dig my holes. What totally amazed me and makes me think that maybe we're still not out of drought is that, after 3" of rain on Monday, a shower on Tuesday and low temps, the soil was perfect to work. It didn't clump at all. Anyway, I hope the blueberry bushes are happy with the location, flourish and grow me lots of blueberries.

LM the bears and stress of not knowing you are safe anytime you step out your door is ridiculous. The DNR should give you permission to shoot any bear that approaches your home, your family or your animals. Maybe you could shoot the bears with a paint gun so you would know for sure if the same animals are coming around or different ones. It might also encourage them to stay away.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Happy 4th, from Texas!!

*Jen* - How are things??

*Cindy*- Yes. That is why we leased it back to her, to give her time to find a place.

Dh did not go yesterday....He fixed the big truck and we (he and me), took a load early this morning. She and I spoke a "Good morning" from a distance.....I did not want to interrupt her efforts. She better get her self out :catfight:.

Don't you worry..... No wiggle room for her after that shenanigan....NO way, NO HOW!! No MA'AM!


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

OK, my month is officially shot. Never trust a man when he says a house "looks fine". Ha. My impression when I drove up was old and dirty. The house was built in 1905, beautiful old house with a big front porch. No one has cleaned the siding, window sills, pillars etc in 2 years. Not that I expect renters to do that, but I expect my husband to notice! Then on to inside, superficially it's OK, but the stove was filthy inside, the lower cabinets were nasty dirty and on and on. And then there's the roses...

So I'm going back Sunday and Thursday, DH is going in between then. Then my family descends on me. I feel like taking them all there, they'd get it clean in no time! And they're the kind of people who'd do it and enjoy it. But I'd rather take them to Crater Lake and waterfalls, and show off Oregon.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Good morning. I lost some of my blind anger, after a decent nights sleep.

After all, I can't physically fight her..... She has a BB in Taekwondo and she belongs to one the biggest gun clubs( As I do).. here in the State. She is a right good marksgal. But, she still has to get her hindend out!

Enjoying a cup of coffee, looking at a sea of boxes to load or pack. Not sure how much I'll deal with today. I need a wee bit of down time.....I would dearly love to go to the range a little later today.....I'm pretty sure, if I shoot something, I will really feel WAAAAAAAAAAAAY better.eep:

I may bathe the Border Collies in a while......They need it!

I did spend some time with "BIG Red", The teenie mini horse...... He is so flippin cute, I can hardly stand it!

Hope everyone had a safe 4th holiday.

Later, my good friends. Have a good one.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Good morning. I lost some of my blind anger, after a decent nights sleep.

Enjoying a cup of coffee, looking at a sea of boxes to load or pack. Not sure how much I'll deal with today. I need a wee bit of down time.....I would dearly love to go to the range a little later today.....I'm pretty sure, if I shoot something, I will really feel better.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

*LM*, okay, you're back in good standing after your Yogiland post. Good grief, girl! Most DNR folks seem to be very pro-active on removing bear threats to humans, since it saves the bear's lives if they can remove them and they don't come back. Yours sounds like an absolute jerk! Is it just one person that you're dealing with? Can you go above his/her head? Everyone has a boss. Call your congressman? Or better yet, get some video on your phone of the bears, and take it to the local media! Most areas have a station that does stories on folks that aren't getting the service they should from government agencies. I wouldn't take no for an answer when you are getting bears on the roof and in the pool. Just too close for comfort. :nono:
*TDD*, go blast something - you need a mental health day!:lonergr:
*mpillow*, how much rain did you get from Arthur? I heard Maine was supposed to get over half a foot of rain. 
*Mutti*, a gas (propane) range is on my eventual wish list. Grid electric is cheap here, but if it ever goes out to stay, running the jenny for the stove isn't going to be at all cheap. Don't know if I'll replace my current electric stove with gas, or just build an outdoor kitchen with a gas range in it, but it's on the list! 
*Vosey*, ugh on having to clean up the rental house, but hopefully, your family can spend a day getting it done, and then it's off to Crater Lake! I plan to head that way myself, after the fairs are over here. Maybe we could meet for coffee! 
*Ann*, goodness, your blueberry planting session sounds even worse than mine! I spent hours cleaning out the raised bed with the few surviving blueberry bushes in it, and still don't have all the new plants in the ground. 

More in the next post....


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Trying to break up some of my long posts....

Yesterday's jobs were weeding, planting and mowing. 

I took the sparkplug out of the mower and sprayed some "Instant Tuneup" stuff in there, and eventually it worked. Starts mostly on the first pull now. I got a portion of the lawn done, but much of it was patches of tall clover that my horse wouldn't eat because she'd used them for bathroom areas, so it will need to be mowed again in a couple days. Lots more to be mowed, so I'll be working on this job all month, I'm sure.

I dug all the grass and weeds out of the blueberry patch and got most of the blueberry bushes planted, although I think they're too close together. I may move them to another raised bed after I do more rehabbing in the garden. Also weeded more raised beds and walkways, not perfectly, but I made excellent progress. Carried 12' 2x6's to the garden to replace the boards I used on a couple beds - they didn't turn out to be heavy-duty enough for raised beds, but will be fine for repairing more pallets. Tried to pound nails, but either those boards are tough or the nails are cheap. I'll try again after drilling some pilot holes and using screws or different nails. I also cut up some older and/or damaged 5 gallon buckets into rings to go around trees and blueberry bushes. It saves water when you can water inside the ring and let it soak in instead of running off. I even found another nest of eggs tucked tidily under the leaves of my biggest rhubarb plant. 

After working until dark, I was exhausted. I moved my horse into her pasture before the fireworks started up, but she was fine with them last night. In past years, she's really been freaked by them, but I guess she's mellowing. Muttley, on the other hand, actually begged to get inside, and hid in the furthest corner of the den until I coaxed him out. He was stuck to me like velcro until it quieted down. Poor baby was shaking...I've not seen him upset from fireworks before.

I'm still really sore, especially through my hands and hips, so I'm taking it a little easier today. It's up to 80* today, so I will probably just rest inside until it cools off some this evening, and then see if I'm up to weeding and mowing. If not, I'll do it tomorrow.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Actually, DH & I went furniture shopping......Found what we wanted in a new bedroom group and mattresses..... and got a very good 4th of July sale price.

Then.. we tromped thru every fabric House in Dallas.....We are beat. Finally, found something.... we sorta....like....but will have to special order @ $55 bucks a yard......So still looking:shocked: 
Hey... at least we finally found some new Bedroom Group......I'll take my little victories.....where I can find them. Whoot!

That's it for today.


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

*lindamarie* - do what mgm suggested. Take video of the bears and call the local station. You'll probably have the DNR guy there the next day to trap them!!

*Vosey* - my DH would be just the opposite! He would want to redo everything on the house!

*TDD* - glad you are standing your ground! Yes, please go shoot something!

*Mutti *- the repair guys are the best ones to get info from! When we had our gas stove installed, he told us that if a burner ever doesn't want to light, check for spider webs! They can cause if not to light!

*mgm* - please sit down! You are making me tired just reading about what you're doing! Thanks for the info about your water filtering.

*Ann* - I covered up my blueberry bushes when they first had fruit on them. It's been about two weeks and the berries aren't ripening. I uncovered them today to get some more sun on them. Any idea when I should cover them?

*NBC3Mom* - I an Methodist. Changing pastors is part of the program. Unfortunately, lately we had a revolving door! Pastors have been coming in about every 2 years. This will be the 9th one in the 15 years that I've been there! Sorry yours left but maybe that's a good thing?

We had another load of wood delivered today. Got lots of ends unfortunately. They are the devil to stack!!

Garden doing well. Small tomatoes, peppers and zukes. I kept putting zucchini seed in because nothing was germinating. Well you know the next part. I hope all the neighbors like zucchini!! 

DH is supposed to spray down the front of the garage tomorrow morning. I want to start painting the front. I'm just doing little sections. Small enough that I can scrape, prime and get one coat on in a day.

Everybody take it easy!


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## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

Haven't had a lot of time to read all the posts for the past month, so was shocked to read your post about a funeral, LindaMarie! What?? Who?? Hope it wasn't someone close to you. Sorry if I did know and have forgotten. Things have a been a bit hectic here!


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

We had showers again overnight and this a.m. Not a lot. I didn't even check the rain gauge. We are officially off the drought map for the first time in about 4 years. 

I spent the morning going up and down the basement stairs hauling stuff accumulated in the laundry room down and trash up. My knees gave out about noon and I haven't accomplished anything else since! The trunk of my car is full of cardboard for recycling and the backseat is full of plastic, newspapers, etc. We'll probably take it to the collection site Monday and hope the bins aren't full. I put 4 large bags of plastic bags in dh's car to take to thrift stores. Feels good to get "stuff" gone.

We usually only have one kitchen bag of trash per week on the curb, but last week we put out 3 kitchen size plus 2 huge trash bags. We pay a flat fee so can put out as many bags as necessary which is good. Slowly, slowly I'm getting the basement cleaned out.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

I finally sat down, put my feet up and read your posts about blueberries. And jumped up to go pick raspberries and blueberries for breakfast! Thank you, my cereal will much better tomorrow :happy2: 

I did get a dehydrator of kale done today and froze the first small wave of shelling peas. I really get anxious if I don't so something on my days off that is prepping/food storage related. Although I have a 1,000 other things to do. But it got so hot today, 97, no A/C, we had to go swimming in the afternoon. At first I was stressed, but you know, life is too short not to go swimming...


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## jessimeredith (Sep 12, 2004)

Wow....go MIA for a bit and you lot take off on the busy lists!

We're settled in, garden in (tiny one but thriving), new blackberry bushes from the "help they're killing me" section (50% off...may go back next week and see what's there), lots of holiday gifts sewn and a bunch of knitting started...getting there!

This coming week and next weekend...well, we get to make a roadtrip to MO for my Grandmother's funeral; she passed on the 1st (fully expected as she's been in renal failure for the past few months and refused dialysis). Might come home with a new sewing machine and a piece or two of furniture (if we can fit it in the car...the truck is still without a working engine of course). Not looking forward to dealing with some rather self-centered family members during visitation/service but thankfully we've all been informed that because of OUR childish behavior (I made a joke about unfriending issues/threats on Facebook) we will be excused from their lives afterward...works for me! Before all that fun I've got about 20lbs of squash to slice, bread and freeze (we LOVE our fried squash here, lol). 

The rest of the month is pretty well dedicated to finishing up sewing projects and working whatever produce we get bestowed upon us by family members (BIL and my sister both planted way too much for them to handle). Other than that, we're just going to tool around!

Prayers and hugs to all needing them (TDD and Jen extra coming your way)...LM, video those yogis as suggested and alert the media; make them useful for something!


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

*JM* - I am so sorry about your loss. Prayers for your family.

*MGM*- Our Sheeba was always freaked by Firecrackers/ thunder, etc. There was no calming her down. Her sister Lizzie, is hard of hearing, so she slept thru most. But, I woke up.....when I heard a loud pop and realized......"that was gunfire". Idiots!

Taking it slowish today. Tomorrow will be a bear at work....No pun intended LM!

Have a good one


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

TDD...not sure what you are buying fabric for but www.fabric.com has decorating and upholstery fabric from top designers for way way less. I'm in love with a red paisley on the site but half of $50 is still too rich for my blood. Hoping they discount again so keep checking! I've bought many yards of fabric from them over the years and always satisfied with quality and service.

Happiness is finding I' ve got cukes! Now to make some tabouli...mint gone crazy per usual in the garden. Picking tomatoes now,too so getting to point where we can eat good share of meals from the garden.

We are lucky to have the local recycling site on our way to town. They take everything as long as clean and sorted. So we save all plastic, cans, cardboard, Amazon boxes, junk mail. Hardly burn anything and usually have only one grain bag full of actual trash a month...they only charge for trash and that is $1.50 a bag. They used to have bins around various places in town but per usual people took advantage and left trash littered around. For a fee they take all kinds of recyclable appliances, even junk fence wire.

I've heard of the wonder of Dawn used in bug spray...now I'm a believer. Our usual Japanese beatle invasion is on and this year they thought they'd demolish my raspberry patch. No way! Mixed up a batch per Utube and had the immense pleasure of watching the bugs die in front of my eyes! Works on stink bugs and beans beetles, too. Today I went out and not a sign of them. 

Checked the bees yesterday and they are thriving. Added two supers to each hive. Haven't hear any bear reports so hope this was just a traveling visitor bear.

Neighbor here putting up hay. Looks like 60+ big bales so nice addition to our bank account. This about 16 acres. Our fields were super heavy crop with lots of clover. He said if we did a scan of the fields for big rocks he'd come back and roll it for us so easier to mow.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Cindy, I've never had blueberry bushes before so I have no idea on covering or not covering. I'm hoping to make chicken wire cages to keep the birds off, but whether or not that ever happens remains to be seen.

Very humid today. The smoke detector in the laundry room is going off. For some reason humidity sets it off. When I boil a lot of water it goes off. I told dh to take the batteries out of it. I think we need to move it away from the kitchen doorway to the back of the laundry room over the dryer. 

I've decided today is going to be mostly a leisure day. I may do some light housework and again maybe not!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Arthur gave us about 2.5 to 3 inches of rain....just made the weeds go crazY! Rumford area had bad thunder spells prior to Arthur that mangled roads...glad I did not experience that!

The wind push my corn around pretty good though!....still too sinky to get in and straighten at this point! I did weed tomatoes and put cages on today...and mow a bit. The food pantry had a truckload of animal food...(the heat makes things spoil quick!) My big bull is feeling quite satisfied today! and the garden is doing very well....

The boy made it home safe and sound last night....lots of stories and friends to see...gone on a date already today....He is a handsome kid but no where ready for a serious committed relationship. He is almost 20 yo and still "out there" exploring the world! He did say it was nice to be home and the dog was so excited to see his boy it was ridiculous! He said it was stressful because of the language barrier (Italian Engineers) so he spent many a night reading "manuals" to understand what he as being asked to do. He did say that the cruise line was "all for show" and not very conscientious on maintaining the engine room. He was a "paid" intern basically. He emailed the school and told them that it was a poor choice to send interns on a non English speaking ship and the safety risks were absolutely intolerable due to language barrier. 150 pounds of steam pressure is instantly deadly. A valve cover blew off and went 4 inches into another steel engine section...Next year he'll be on the school ship again....and relatively safe.


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

We still had 3" of water in my hillbilly rain gauge (peanut butter jar with a short measuring stick in it). So we had to have gotten more than that with the storm.

Ann - in the little house we used to live in, whenever I made salsa it would set off the CO2 detector!

I uncovered the blueberries for a couple days and they started to ripen. I covered them back up to make sure the birds didn't get any. I'm thinking that next year I should wait until they are just starting to turn before I cover them.


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## NBC3Mom (May 14, 2005)

*MGM *"All my peas and beans in my garden there were eaten by rabbits - I'll have to remember to put up wire around the plot next year." 

Rabbit fencing has been a life saver for us this year. We have been harvesting beans every 2 days, peas, huge cabbages, and zucchini. The rabbits ate most of the pepper plants that were not inside the fence but didn't touch cucumbers. Our neighbor lost most of her vegetable garden and a lot of her perennials and petunias to the same family of rabbits. Going to save all of our change and buy more fence for next year. I plan to retire August 1, 2015 and want a lot of veggies to can and freeze while we adjust to living on social security and savings.

I turned 65 in June and it seems like I am falling apart! I survived cancer 5 years ago and take no medications for any chronic conditions but these past 2 months have not been good. I cracked my ribs twice since the end of May and had to go to the ER this weekend for what I thought was a bug bite of some sort. It got bigger and redder as the week went on and was painful to touch. My legs were achy and burning and I just felt awful. The ER doctor took one look at my 'bug bite' and said you have shingles! I had the shingles' vaccine several years ago which was a good thing, I only have a mild case! We go on vacation this coming Saturday - I need it.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Big sigh of relief. After an hour and a half, it has been decided that there is NOTHING wrong/ off/ out of the ordinary in my right breast!! Unfortunately that news came a few minutes too late to catch DH. He's locked in a plane at 30,000+ feet for the next 12 hours. I did tell him I'd keep my cell on me and to call me ASAP after he lands. Will be the middle of the night here....so I'm not sure he actually will call. But I'll take the phone to bed with me in case he does.

Not sure what to do next..... I got up at 3 am, so I should be careful not to get into too much - I'm going to crash early and without warning, lol. I think I'll just bake some bread and continue Praising God for good results  Then curl up with a book. I can be productive tomorrow....after a good nights sleep.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

:sing: Awesome Jen:sing:


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Jen, that's wonderful news. Our prayers were heard!


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

Wonderful news Jen!! I hope you're taking a nap now!!


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## Oma2three (May 5, 2012)

Jen ,so happy for you ,that you got good results.Praise the Lord!!


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

*YAY Jen!*

Mutti - I have ordered fabric from fabric.com.....I like them.

I actually found the same fabric for $29.....still pricey. It's considered "Artist Inspired", hence the jacked up cost. I am still looking.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Wonderful, wonderful news Jen!!! Big relief. 

2 more days of work before "vacation" starts and the family arrives. I'm a little concerned about my 80 year old parents and the heat. It was making us ill yesterday, but then they're tougher than us  

I have 5 days off after they leave, my original plan was to harvest, can and freeze. But the garden is behind this year....maybe I'll have to relax, go swimming and canoeing! I'm really hoping that the garden explodes by then, I'd like to have the time to get a lot done. Can in the morning while it's cool, go to the lake in the afternoon. Sounds like a good life to me!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Hot Hot Hot! and juicy!
Still plugging away at mowing, growing, weeding and wood. The boy seems to be on vacation....but that is going to come to an abrupt end soon, especially if he wants MY help on his student loans. One hand washes the other....DD18 has been helping my mom with yardwork and housework.

DH has been on call since Fri 7am and only one call last fri. (knock on wood) He gets company truck for the week...OT for calls and 8hrs comp time (hunting season). I had Registrations to pay at town officeand I got him his hunting lic. early as a "prize" for working hard at work and around the house. Great improvement since "unemployed" phase!

My big to-do in the next week or two is getting the 2 college kids finances squared away for the coming school year. Such a hassle....

The little moo is about ready to be weaned....he looks great and I'm happy to have $100 off my butcher bill.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Now that DH is safely "out of the house" and the master bedroom is MINE, I'm ready to clean and paint! I was planning to paint it next week when DD was also out of town.....but I have "the bug" now. So we stated moving things out of my room this afternoon into DS's room (he's only here 20 hrs a week.....so his room is now my storage room, like it or not). The vacuum got quite a workout.....dust bunnies have been our theme in there, lol. Got the dressers and one bed-side safe out. Yes, I said safe, lol. DH works for a company that makes bank equipment. Work had a garage sale a few months back to clear out a warehouse full of "junk". We picked up cabinets for bedside tables....his has 2 safe's in it! Not bad for $10 each. Tonight I plan to sit up there and go through DH's magazines.....he had 3 large tote bags full! I did find my missing Backwoods Homes over in his piles. He'll never know what's "missing" when he get's back. I know which he will look at again and which he won't. Won't pile is going to Goodwill....tomorrow!

I didn't pick anything earth shattering in color.....it's the same light tan we are using downstairs, so the room should brighten up a bunch. Right now it's a dark tan...I bought a can of "opps paint" from Lowe's 10 yrs ago. We've gotten our $8 out of that color. I'm looking forward to the change!


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Well, It made it to 100F...UGH..........More on the way. I told the young gardener to harvest anything that was ready..... 'cause the garden will incinerate very soon. He looked like he wanted to cry......and so it goes in Gardenville.

I have 2 cakes to do by Friday....

Placed a bulk ammo order.
Bought 10lbs of Coffee.

Work is off the chain crazy. Still don't know what is going on.

Have a Blessed day, ya'll.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Well BOOGER, it's one of THOSE days  I'm just here to whine, so be advised 

I can't get the head off the trimmer, so I can't change the trimmer line...so I can't trim. And the yard is BEGGING to be trimmed. While I spent 20 min fighting with that DD was cutting the front yard. She turned off the mower to empty the bag and now it won't run!! As long as I pump the fuel in it will, but as soon as I let it run it's self it dies. If it were a car I'd know it's the fuel pump......do B&S mower engines have fuel pumps? Front yard is 1/2 mowed :flame: and now I have to consider taking the mower a town over to the small engine "dude". (yes, I checked the gas....it's 1/2 full). This time of year I can bet it will take him a week to get done with it.... Two projects started, two projects failed. SO...at this rate are the bristles going to fall out of my new brush if I work on painting my room :gaptooth:. OK...going out to top off the gas in the mower and try it again. I'm have no idea why a 30 min rest and a full tank of gas would "fix" it but it's all I have left. Throttle's working fine, so if it's not the "magical fix" then the fuel line needs cleaned & filter changed....none of which I do anymore for myself.

Humm...DD just turned on a Welcome Back, Kotter.....guess the mower can sit and "cool" a bit longer 

ETA: Well I put on my big girl pants and went out and looked at the mower.....no fuel filter. Looked in the shed, and noticed out "front and center" is a can of old gas (IE not marked with a rotation mark....so never rotated).... DH ran the mower out of gas last week and re-filled..... I dumped the gas out of the mower and put in fresh...it runs! So the "blank" can is bad gas. Need to slowly deposit that in our gas tanks (1/2 gallon at a time over the next few months) to get rid of it, then get it marked and into rotation. The trimmer will have to wait till the neighbor gets home from work. Then I'll "rent" his man sized hands to see if he can get the head off the mower. They are great neighbors, he'd have no problem lending me a hand  In the past when the kids were small and DH was out of town for a long periods of time, he'd just come over and trim. I could keep up with the mowing.....but trimming didn't happen so he'd take it on himself to do the front yard, lol. It was greatly appreciated!!


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## brendafawn (Oct 15, 2013)

Got my cast off Monday, and have a walking boot on. So now I can move around and get some things done. Four weeks under hubbys thumb and things really need done. Gonna work on the pantry, it looks like a disaster. But he took good care of me. My to do list:

Clean pantry
Take note of what needs restocked (lots)
Weed garden and get ready to plant, I didn't have a very good garden because of broken ankle but plan on having a good summer and fall garden. Restock paper goods. 

That should be a start. 

Everyone have a good day.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

some quick garden pics... 100 percent organic....havent even used any DE this year.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

here are our oldest accidental bunnies.....up to 14 accidentals BTW:nono:

I call them BLD (breakfast lunch dinner) and they are close to butcher size.


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## brendafawn (Oct 15, 2013)

Mpillow What age do you butcher them. Mine are seven months. Do you do the butchering yourself.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Good news! All the bristles stayed in the brush as I painted. Master bedroom is officially painted, still need to put it back together ,though. But I think that will wait till tomorrow once the paint's done curing. I thought that ended my painting plans for the summer.....till I looked at the kitchen ceiling. I forgot that changing out the kitchen light a year back left an old paint spot around the new fixture (base is smaller then the old one). 15 min and it should be done....then I'll be done painting for the summer (I think)


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Ah, the joys of having my internet back on again....for a couple days, CenturyLink showed that I had in-house service, but no connection to the internet. :shrug: Today, it's working again, so I can finally catch up with everyone. Y'all have been busy, busy!

First and foremost, *Jen* - Yay! :bouncy: :sing: 
*brenda*, congrats on getting your cast off.  I'm not mpillow, but we raised rabbits for years. We usually butchered between 3-4 months...after that the feed conversion isn't as efficient, so even though they look smallish at that age, it's time for butchering. We raised New Zealands, Californians, and sometimes Rex for meat rabbits. Hated the NZ Whites - those buns were MEAN. My forearms have so many scars from their nails that I look like I've tried to commit suicide or am a cutter! My favorites were the Cals, and NZ Reds.
*Mpillow*, your garden looks wonderful. I like the buns, too. What breeds are they "accidentally"? New Zealand and Broken Rex is my guess...am I even close? 
*NBCMom*, boo on the shingles - ugh! The ads make it sound like the shingles vaccine is a cure-all, but it's not...although a lighter case is a good thing. Yes, on the rabbit fencing - at home I have cattle panels covered in chicken wire all around the garden and orchard, plus a big dog that loves to run off wild bunnies. The fairgrounds has no such deterrent, and I know the buns are thick there. I should have remembered and put up my own fencing. Next year, I'll remember (I hope).
*TDD*, I still think you need to go shoot something, lol. I always think you should go shoot something!  Any news on the "move-out" yet? I hope she's packing - is it the end of July that she's supposed to be out?
*Vosey*, I always vote for swimming when it gets too hot, although I'll settle for soaking myself with the hose repeatedly if I have to keep working. Had to smile at you picking your blueberries and raspberries - I found ripe raspberries along the end of the chicken pen when I was mowing yesterday. Yum! 
*Jan*, welcome back! 
*Jess*, condolences on the loss of your gm. Expected or not, it's sad. (((Hugs)))
*Ann*, good job on getting things cleared out...you have been working on it bit by bit, and I bet you are seeing the results. 
*Cindy*, I can't sit down for long - I'll be swallowed by weeds if I do, lol!

More in the next post!


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

So I had running water in my house for not quite 24 hours. They installed my filter system/water softener yesterday and shocked my well. It'll take a while to finish getting all the leftover iron sludge out of my pipes and water heater, but it was getting much better this morning. Then I tried to work under my kitchen sink - only to have one of the pressure fittings start leaking - SEVERELY!  So, I had to turn off the water to the house until I can get it fixed. :Bawling: At least I can get good water through the hose from the pump house itself, so it's not a total loss.

I was able to fill the washer with the hose and do laundry today. I'm taking a break to rest my legs and hips right now, and then it's back to laundry (and hose mending). It is really nice not to have to haul buckets of water for the washer. 

I've been mowing like crazy every day, and it's really starting to look good outside!  The main lawn is done, I've mowed around the barn and shed, and yesterday I mowed the chicken pen, part of the pasture and started the garden/orchard. This morning, I mowed much more of the garden - got all around the fruit trees and at least have paths to the areas I'm weeding and building new raised beds. I pulled lots more weeds yesterday and the day before, and hope to get back out there when it cools down a bit this evening.

Now that I have good water, I plan to empty the rain water out of the 55 gallon barrels that needed cleaned, finish scrubbing them, and then filling them with good, clear water. I did some investigating, and the water softener doesn't put enough salt into the ground to make much of a difference, especially with the amount of rain we get here every winter, so I might as well store potable water. I emptied one of the nastier barrels a couple days ago to use for garden irrigation, and it was so bad that I couldn't imagine putting it through the Berkey. Ick!

Well, I've had some lunch (or is it dinner at this time of day?), and my legs feel somewhat better, so I think I'll get back to washing bedding and haul out my hose mending kit. I still have hoses that Muttley chewed when he was a baby that I need to mend, as well as a couple hoses that have sprung leaks since last year. A hot day is the best day to mend hoses - they are very pliable and it's easier to get the new ends inserted when it's hot out. I dip them in near boiling water and use soap, but the heat helps.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Well, I'm $120.64 poorer but my computer is now running Vista. It was already on my computer but I'd had XP put on so it would match what the office was running. That's no longer an issue plus the office is now running Windows 7. No longer my problem! Vista is good thru 2017 so I have a couple years to save for a new computer. Time will tell how much "new" I have to learn to use Vista.

We also got rid of 3 old computers out of the basement. One of the young guys at the shop was so excited to see the original IBM portable computer. It had no memory and 2 floppy drives. As far as I know it still works if he can figure out how to use it. I don't remember!

DD's partner and his son came and mowed this p.m. While they were here I hauled 4 more boxes of dd's stuff, plus her old printer/scanner out of my basement and into his vehicle! It feels so good everytime I get rid of more stuff! Another box went to the thrift shop on Tuesday.


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## jessimeredith (Sep 12, 2004)

Busy bees, you lot!

I've been doing nada but getting everything caught up around here for the eventual trip for Gma's memorial. Ya'll say a little prayer for me if you would...I'm fully expecting the woman married to my uncle (aka my aunt) to try something; I am unfortunately the type that will call her on it.

Oh wait....I did slice and shred up a massive amount of squash for the freezer from my BIL's garden...just in time for ours to start popping blossoms! I see a lot of subbing squash for carrots in recipes.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

MGM - Yes, I NEED to go shoot something.......maybe this weekend.
She has until 7/31.......DH has not even had the heart to take a load.....He was so (is) upset with her.

Managed to get my 2 cakes baked..... Coconut will deliver today........ Cheese Cake tomorrow.

We are in a HOT - Dry weather pattern.......July in Texas......100F+ for the entire forecast.

I have ordered some tile samples and a bit of fabric, too. I am trying to find some pleasure in this circus.

Have a Blessed one............Gotta run.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Did a bit too much yesterday....my back is sore. Once I got going I couldn't get myself to stop....I started putting things back in the bedroom, including the safe. I think that's what did my back in, lol. It's just muscle fatigue, so maybe spending the day sitting in front of a sewing machine will do it some good. 

On the up side I did go through all the tubs under the bed, resort, and label them! Now we can tell which one has new socks, new underwear, long johns, etc without pulling each and every tub out and going through it. Found a tub of keepsakes I think I'll move to the attic of the garage. Has overalls both my kids wore as babies, some of DH's beloved t-****s (many from high school ), etc. It's only 1/2 full, I'm not a big "saver", so maybe I should bump through the closets and such and see if I can find a few more memories to stick in there.

Since it's our 21st anniversary, spending the day on the sewing machine making DH's new jacket is a good thing. Nice way for me to think about him and appreciate him being my partner all these years.....he's still my best friend :nanner:


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Well if I could get Jen to do some painting, TDD to do some cooking, MGM to help with outside projects, Ann to fix my computer......life would be easy! HAH!

Brenda...ideally like MGM stated 3-4 months....but depending on the weather(hot weather means yellow jackets when you butcher outside) they can go longer! My DD was 12 yo when she became the bunny butcher(er)...she could do 4 in an hour!

DH is going "scouting" up at our mtn cabin with the boy this weekend....CEREAL FOR SUPPER!!!!! Maybe I should swamp out our bdrm so Jen can come and paint?!:heh:

Perfect 10 weather....for next 3 days....80 degrees, breeze and low humidity!:nanner:


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## NBC3Mom (May 14, 2005)

Pulled all of the pea plants and got enough for about 1 meal. Next year I think beans or beets would be a better option and would produce more in the same area of garden. Dug up 3 rows of potatoes already - we have 8 rows planted from last year's crop. Had some fried for dinner - delicious! Lots of zucchini & cabbage now, too. We are getting about 1/2" of rain each week, perfect temps, just a great summer so far. Can't wait for the first ripe tomato. 
Will be leaving for vacation on Saturday - first one since June, 2013. Good timing I think. Another person resigned in my office this week. Hope they divide her duties when I am away and they forget to give me more work. I did 3 full time jobs last year for 5 months and 2 for 10 months with no extra pay or comp time. The person who quit was one of the new hires who took half of my old job (which they made into 2 separate jobs when I left). I see where that is heading again!


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

So great to be eating out of the garden again. Last nite we had Swiss steak with our beef,onions,peppers over rice and a huge pot of green beans and a bowl of buttered beets. Yummy. Tonight homemade tacos with peppers,onions,tomatoes from the garden plus black beans/leftover rice...we got a #10 can of "instant" black beans from Honeyvill and they are so handy. I add cumin and onion powder when I rehydrate them. An item I think I'll buy again. Haven't been to grocery store yet this month...goal is eating from the freezer and garden all month! Think I can do it. Pa went and bought his own ice cream fix!

Darn deer tramped thru the garden and knocked over many onions so the tops drying out prematurely so pulled them to finish drying. Think I will dehydrate these. All this rain has given us huge onions. 

64 big bales off our two fields. Pretty good....and handy as the glass company guy didn't realize our sliding door was wood and ordered wrong glass. 3x the original quoted price. That hurts. Rest in savings for the Dec. taxes. If this rainy pattern keeps up may get second cutting which would be a bonus.

Anyone got their canners out yet? I note in my 2013 garden notes I was canning peaches end of July so will have to watch for them at our Mennonite store. We actually have plums this year.

Happiness is getting my own bee suit...Pa and I were taking turns wearing the one we had but so much easier working the bees together. Resisted the pink suit...but mine is mint


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

I never put my canners away! Winters I do dried beans, chicken or other meat. 

I canned 6 pints of green beans today which is the first garden canning for this year. I pulled two rows of lettuce that had bolted and replanted with green beans. The hail really knocked the beans and even tho they are blooming I'm thinking the production will be much less so I'm planting more. I think one row of beets is ready to come out and I'll replant that to beans too. 

Mosquito bites really swell up on me and repellent gives me a rash so when I work out in the garden I look like a scarecrow. Old jeans, long sleeved shirt, billed cap with a head net and hope the neighbors aren't looking my way!


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

*TDD*, so, 3 weeks and counting down before she is to be out. Fingers crossed. We're about 10 degrees cooler than you for the coming week - that's HOT for here! I take fair entries in 6 days...hopefully the weather will not keep folks from entering their produce.
*mpillow*, you'd have quite the work party if we all got together, lol. Maybe we need to take turns on each others' homesteads. Anyone good at plumbing and electrical? 
*Jen*, Happy Anniversary! :bouncy:

I ended up needing 2 days to finish the laundry - I got to mowing again last night and didn't finish all the bedding. Doing down duvets, mattress covers, etc, takes a lot of time and attention. My good down comforter is hanging out to dry tonight, after I ended up spraying it down while it was hanging on the cattle panel fence. When I took it out of the washer after the rinse, there was sediment all over it - evidently some of the hoses are still cleaning themselves. At least it didn't stain - came right off when I sprayed the hose on it.

I was able to get most of the rest of the garden mowed, but I think I need to sharpen and re-balance the mower blade. I hit a wire plant stake that was hiding in the tall grass. Sparks flew and I noticed there was a stripe of chewed off grass in the mower's path afterward. Oops. :shrug:

Goodness, I was amazed at how many hoses I own...every time I thought I had them all collected, I'd find more. I mended a number of them, but some are totally shot. One of the "shot" hoses, I paid big bucks for at Costco a few years ago...if I can find the receipt and it's within the warranty, I'll return it next time I'm down that way. I still have a number of regular hoses that need new ends or a splice, and I haven't even started on soaker hoses yet.

I was happy to have those hoses today - I noticed that my Jerusalem Artichokes were wilted and looking puny. I pulled as many weeds as I could, spread some compost/chicken manure on them, and poured the water to them. They were already perking up within an hour or so. I think they will benefit from a soaker hose and some mulch, too, but I don't know if I'll get to it until after the fair. Oh, and I found green tomatoes on about half my plants when I watered them. Yay!

eta: I also filled a brown pint canning jar with vodka and added several vanilla beans to it - going to make my own vanilla extract.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

On the up side I did go through all the tubs under the bed, resort, and label them! Now we can tell which one has new socks, new underwear, long johns, etc without pulling each and every tub out and going through it. Found a tub of keepsakes I think I'll move to the attic of the garage. Has overalls both my kids wore as babies, some of DH's beloved t-****s (many from high school ), etc. It's only 1/2 full, I'm not a big "saver", so maybe I should bump through the closets and such and see if I can find a few more memories to stick in there.

Jen - ????? Are you trying for a new tag line? LOL! :whistlin:

Glazed the cheese cake and cut up 8lbs of berries to ladle over the slices. Made dinner and went to bed! I didn't even eat.

Have a wonderful day all.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Texasdirtdigger said:


> Jen - ????? Are you trying for a new tag line? LOL! :whistlin:


:rotfl::rotfl: Honestly, I had to re-read that 3 times (even though you highlighted it) before I saw it :teehee:. OK...if I ever write a book I'm have YOU edit it for me!! Off to go find a tissue and wipe my eyes....they are tearing up from laughing so hard! Hope I don't find any of THOSE memories while looking for a tissue in the closet .


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

Only thing we are eating out of the garden so far are snow peas and greens. But we do have a variety of greens - mesclun mix, arugula, spinach, swiss chard, and two kinds of kale. Next week we should have zucchini! Going to try something that I saw Jackie Clay do in a recent email - put half composted compost around my squash. Mine doesn't have any manure in it but she said that corn and squash are heavy feeders and the compost does them good.

Next week have to bring the fencing down from the garage attic and cage the cukes and beans. They are going everywhere!! Also need to re-construct the plastic greenhouse for the sweet peppers. The hot peppers that are in the pop-up greenhouse are at least twice as big as the sweet ones.

Everyone have a wonderful weekend!!


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

I also never put my canner away, well, except right now as the family is arriving tomorrow! And my BIL decided at the last moment to come, which is great as my poor husband really needs some protection from the rest of my family and we both love him to death. But the email from my sister mentions they are leaving Tuesday unless my father "acts up" then they'll leave Monday which fouls up all our plans. My dad doesn't usually start picking on people until the end of trips though, but when he starts in it's bad and it's usually that sister who gets the brunt of it. 

Enough family drama, I'm sure you guys don't want to hear it all! 

Our lettuce is bolting, despite shade cloth and babying it it. I think we'll be OK for enough for the visit. Lots of shelling peas to harvest and freeze this morning. The last of our first planting of beets is ready to harvest this morning, I'll cook some up for salads this week and can the rest when everyone leaves. I bought local zucchini at the store yesterday, which will guarantee ours will finally take off! Marinated and grilled cold zucchini is on my menu for the visit. 

Cabbages are ready to harvest but we need to get the old fridge cleaned out and plugged in before we do. And that HAS to happen today, as we need the fridge going when everyone is here. Mice got into it this winter and it's so gross neither of us have done it. DH promises to do it today, I think he's hoping I get irritated enough to do it myself, but I have 1,000 other things to do. 

Off to do them! Oh, it's cloudy here this morning, it's never cloudy in the summer here, temp is only 61 and if it stays cloudy no way is it going to be 96 again. A lot nicer for all my plans.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

We always "side dress" squash and corn....and I use fresh goat/bunny mix w/o any burning probs....in fact my winter squash is almost always planted in the barn clean out pile! I add just a #10 can of "soil" to set the starts in on the pile. HOT STUFF....sometimes it requires extra water! Worms for fishing on the underside!
(and the side dressings get tilled under for next years soil nutrition!)

MGM---DH does plumbing but hates it, My oldest brother is an electrician....I can't get any help from either one!:grump:

MUST get the boys college loans done...DD came in at owing 1750 ths coming semester and nothing next semester....DOABLE!


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

We had a light shower this a.m. Not measurable but enough to keep me out of the garden today. It is a lot cooler and supposed to stay that way for next week so maybe I'll do some baking today. 

There are a couple of garage sales in town today and tomorrow so I'll probably check those out. Planning to have a quiet weekend and not do much as I'm very tired.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Well, the garage sale turned out to be very interesting. It was being run by the lady who I consigned a lot of stuff to in 11/2012 who took my stuff and never paid me. I challenged her about not paying me and she started with excuses. I asked why she hadn't responded to my e-mails and she said her computer wasn't working -- yeah right -- not working since April, 2013 -- I believe that don't you??? She assured me that she'd be over to settle up tomorrow after the sale is done. For some reason, I sincerely doubt that, but I live in hope! 

I decided that I needed to do something to make sure that the people having this sale didn't get the same treatment so I went to the police. Of course, being a small town the cop wasn't around. So I told the city clerk my story and my concerns for the people having the sale conducted by this lady. So the clerk is going to contact the family and warn them. Don't you love small towns?

I had debated filing charges or at least a small claims action against this lady for some time, but just didn't want the hassle. I had thought that she was no longer doing sales and, in fact, had left the area. Now that I know differently, I kind of feel like I have a responsibility to let others know about her.

She immediate said she owed me $138 -- and I told her no its way more than that. I have saved all her e-mails discussing prices plus have my inventory list of what she took to sell. I feel like an idiot for trusting her, but I have had trust issues and thought I just needed to "trust" and not question (a personal issue not connected with her!). Obviously, I picked the wrong person on which to exercise trust.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

YEAH...DS and his man sized hands are home (for a few hours). We got the trimmer head off!! I forgot how much I rely on him to help when DH is gone. 

Not much going on here today, truly just sitting back and doing nothing. DS needs down time the few hours he's here each week. So it's just feed the boy some home cooked food, get his laundry washed, and enjoy him.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

*TDD*, LOL on finding Jen's typo...I can't believe I didn't see that one myself! :hysterical:
*Jen*, I'm still laughing with (not at, I promise) you - you manage the FUNNIEST typos I've ever had the pleasure to read.  Hope you had a wonderful, lazy day with the kids. Sometimes it's just so nice to take a day to decompress.
*Vosey*, enjoy your family as best you can - and of course we want to hear the family drama, or at least I do. It makes me feel like my family is relatively sane. 
*Ann*, stay after that gal like a dog with a bone! Not only should you get your money out of her, but if you don't stay on her, who knows how many others she will treat in the same shabby manner. I love that you went to city hall and reported her. :goodjob: Gotta love small town folks - we do look after our own!

I had the nicest day with my bff yesterday. We went garage saling and I found so many really great buys. I came home with the SUV stuffed to the gills and riding low on the shocks.  It was HOT - 91* by the time we got back to my place - so we only hit 8 sales and only went as far as our small home town instead of the "big" city like we normally would. Didn't even go grocery shopping.

Let's see - prep purchases: Number 8 cast iron "chicken fryer" with the lid I needed for my dutch oven $10, 3 manual meat grinders (one Universal, 2 Keen Cut) $8 each, scythe $10, 80 3-tab shingles $10, Coleman dual fuel 2 mantle lantern $10, brand new archery target $10, Swiss Army knife .25, 25' garden hose $1, 25' extension cord $1, 20 canning jars including a half gallon old blue one .25 each. At one sale it was donations only, and I got 3 kids bikes (have one for each of the young grands now, including a tiny one for Guppy to grow into), 4 windows for my greenhouse, and 16 more canning jars. At another sale I got a T square and regular square, 2 one-man rafts with oars, a meat saw, small ax, striker, and a lens from an old projection TV (Frenell lens?) all for $25. Lots more, including some new clothes I was in sore need of, a potty seat for Guppy, Pyrex pie pan and measuring cups (2 and 4 cup), and metal measuring bowl (8 cup). Even found some silver and stainless flatware that matched my patterns .10 each. I spent an outrageous total, but not much more than the price of one of the bikes and the cast iron alone, new. 

Today was devoted to washing all those jars and other kitchen stuff, laundry to wash up the new clothes, and shoveling sand. I drove down to the river and filled coolers (lidless ones I use for horse troughs usually), totes and 5 gallon buckets with dry sand. I used the sand prepping an area for the pool, and started the process of filling it. I can't fill too much at a time because I could potentially overwhelm the water softener system, but I got about 4-6 inches in it tonight. It'll take a while but I'll be able to swim and cool off eventually.  It was 92* today, and it's supposed to be sizzling hot for at least a week.  Even if all I do is wade in the partially filled pool, it's gonna feel GOOD!


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

MGM - Jen - Yep! That one is a riot! OMG! That was the only thing I have had to laugh about in weeks!! LOL!!!

It is sooooooo hot here. Everyone is scurrying to get the haying done. My orchard is feeling the stress.

We went to the farm yesterday and took a small truck load. She is almost moved out of the house. I had to ask her permission to go into MY house. Played with the cutest Mini horse in the world and the ancient Jenny. She is coming to me now.....Of course.......I have treats!

I have fabric and tile samples that I wanted to audition.

Dh & I measured and made some reno plans, met our cousin and had lunch. Drove to Plano, TX and went antiquing. Really didn't find anything. That was probably a blessing!! lol!

I won a brick of 22's in a contest.....Woot!

I already know next week will be brutal at work... oh well, so it goes.

Everyone have a good one!


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Texasdirtdigger said:


> We went to the farm yesterday and took a small truck load. *She is almost moved out of the house. *


:bouncy::bouncy:


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

*TDD*, I'm with *Jen* on this one... :bouncy: :bouncy: Looks like she's gonna be out without a fuss, fingers crossed. Oh, congrats on the .22 brick - these days that's like finding a gold nugget!

Whoever forecast 90* temps today got it wrong - never made it above 72*. Started out clear and warm, but clouded up by 10am. I could hear rumbles of thunder off and on all day, but not too close. Got a few sprinkles, but not enough to settle the dust. 

I added water to the pool bit by bit all day - I think by tomorrow night, it should be full. I'm really looking forward to swimming this summer. I also dug out a couple more small raised beds, worked on hose mending, patched a float for the pool, and cleaned up the mess on my lawn of stuff from the pump house repair. I took the undercoat rake to Muttley, who is finally blowing his winter coat, and then I curled up with a good book! Basically, kind of a lazy day here.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

DH and I found a really nice China and side board yesterday. I had been looking at paint colors for hours. Came home and we went to lunch.....Then the antique mall..... walked in....and there it was front and center. They had just brought it in. I grabbed the tag and it was all mine. hee heee hee.

Yes, the house was almost empty.... but, she still has many outbuildings that are not empty. She better "bust a move" and get some help. I am still not convinced, she will go easily.

I picked up a case of Strawberries to make jam.

It was so hot my car said 109F at one point. Too flippin hot to be out in it... that's for sure.

You guys have a good one.... I have to boogie on with my day.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Ran up to the flea market with a friend this morning. Left the "fleas" but picked up produce and sausage ("our" butcher has a stall at the market). Green beans are in the caner and I need to re-bundle the sausage - cheaper bought in bulk  Now my fridge is filled to the brim with produce!! I plan on living on zucchini and tomatoes while DD (and everyone else) is gone. THOSE are MY favorite summer flavors 

Need to pull out the laptop (lol....I'm guess I have as I'm on it, lol) and start the paperwork for next school year. I do a copy/ paste method so I can usually whip it out in a half hour or so. Then I can get it sent to the school, so they know my kids STILL aren't crossing their threshold 

Need to run the vacuum....my dog is shedding and my parents dog is here, too. Honestly my dog is 90-95% of he hair....Bitzy is a beagle with very little hair to start with......Hoover is a fluffy rug with legs. After that maybe I'll sit down and finish reading the Sunday paper.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Honestly my dog is 90-95% of he hair...................*Jen*, you are at it again!!! LOL!!!

My Border Collies are blowing their coats also....I hate when that happens.

We had rain... for about 2 minutes.

Goodnight all.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Well...he is a HE, lol....so he has "he hair"


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

*Jen*- Nice save!! LOL!! Tooo funny!

We had a good shower last evening......didn't last too long.....but it was good. Maybe it will perk my orchard up.

Paying bills and having my coffee......then work.

Ya'll have a Blessed one!!


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Water, water everywhere....except here  Have to head out and water this morning. Going to meet up with friends at the butterfly house this morning. Should allow me to get some fun photo shots of my DD. I think I'll stop at the green grocery near there and get more green beans to can. Corn should be in soon, so I better get beans done so I'm not trying to do everything at once. Need to check with my friend that's growing the sweet corn how things are going (I know the wet spring gave them "issues" in the garden). I'll see her tomorrow. I want to buy her corn....if it growing. I wish it was non-GMO, but I know it's not, and it's been sprayed. But so has every other field in the region.....so at least I can buy from a friend.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Had to do a quick check in with you guys to keep my sanity! The Idaho contingent just left and the house is blissfully quiet. Everyone else is descending in an hour. My other sister is staying with us for the next 2 days since the guest room is no free, which will be nice. I am EXHAUSTED! Too much organizing, cooking, food and wine. But we have had a wonderful time so far. Everyone has been on very good behavior. 

Must be a week for .22 bricks, my BIL brought me one for my B'day from his substantial arsenal  Wow, MGM those yard sale prices and finds are great. TDD, keeping my fingers crossed for you that she is out without a hassle. 

It's SO hot, will be 100 here today, we're going to town today I'm thinking of breaking down and going to Sears for a standing A/C unit. Normal ones don't fit in our windows.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Jen....I have some rain to spare! 

Lots of baby veg in the garden! My corn hould start tasseling soon...

I'm struggling with my parents as they age and wants and desires....going to post thread so maybe I get some insight!


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

*TDD*, haha, this time I saw *Jen's* typo, too - not as good as t-****s and ham and swill, but still funny. Do ya think she's doin' it on purpose to see if we'll catch her?  ound: 
If the gal moves out of the house on time, but doesn't empty her (your) outbuildings, I'd say finders keepers. Hope if she does leave stuff behind, it's treasure and not TRASH. Nothing like having to bring in a dumpster to dispose of someone else's junk. :hair
*Vosey*, yup, I was amazed and thrilled at every garage sale. Things that were actually on my list, and the prices were fabulous. Made up for the HOT day. Our 5 day forecast up this way has actually been revised downward about 10 degrees, thankfully. Still warm, summer weather, but not hot enough to give the rabbits heat stroke at the fair. 
*Mpillow*, your garden is going like gangbusters, especially considering how long you have to wait to put it in. I could use a bit of your extra water...we're definitely heading into drought season here. My garden soil is very sandy, and it's like shoveling powder already this year. Makes it easier to weed, but I have to put a lot more water to it.

I spent yesterday taking dips in the pool to cool off between sessions of weeding, taking my barn boards off (found termite damage), weeding, mowing, weeding, raised bed construction and filling, weeding, hose detangling and mending, weeding, watering, weeding, planting blueberries and, before I forget to mention it, weeding, lol. My hands feel like claws from pulling weeds for so long. At least keyboarding gets them a bit limbered up again. I think I'll take some time off from the yard and garden duties (other than watering) until Sunday. My body needs some recovery time, and I have a fair to get through.

I can't believe it's already fair time. I have to take my canning and dehydrating entries in today, and will spend the rest of the day cleaning and decorating my department. I've been printing out pictures off the internet all morning, and my ink cartridge is fading. I'll need to make a run into town to buy more before I can finish up my decorations. Luckily, I was to a point where I have enough to get by, just not everything I would like to do. I tend to go a bit overboard, so maybe I should just say enough is enough for pics and switch to black ink to print out the written info.

I ran a lot of water yesterday, between pool filling and watering garden, trees, and flower beds. My softener/filter system didn't seem to have any difficulty keeping up with it. I think maybe they err on the side of caution when they tell the customer not to fill pools and water gardens and lawns. :shrug: As long as I have good water coming out of the hose and I give it a break every once in a while, I think I'll be okay to water my garden and top off the pool.

The pool is a small one, 13'x39" deep, but I can already see that it will likely save me some energy two different ways this summer. It got to the high 80's yesterday, but after swimming, I was chilled enough that 75 in the house (without the AC running) was very comfy. I'd been running the AC in the afternoons to keep it comfortable in at least one small corner of the house. If I can leave it off, I'll probably save half of my summer energy $$. And I can sure work longer when I can cool off in the pool instead of coming inside, taking a garden sprayer shower and lying down for a couple hours to recover, sweating and uncomfortable. I don't handle heat as well as I used to do.

Sounds like a bunch of us have been dealing with shedding dogs. Muttley looks like a totally different dog in his summer coat. About 30# lighter (appearance only, trust me), and somehow smaller. I can't even get his collar on when he's in winter coat, but after he's totally shed it, the collar not only fits, I have to take it in a few notches. I had to smile when I looked at my parking area yesterday. I hadn't picked up all the fur from the day before, and it looked like a dog had EXPLODED outside my front door! 

Okay, now that I've checked in to see what's up, I've really got to get back to finishing my decorations so I can get to the fairgrounds. I have a full load to take with me, and I have to get the tiny freezer down from on top the big upright without dropping it or hurting myself. Wish me luck!


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

manygoatsnmore said:


> *TDD*, haha, this time I saw *Jen's* typo, too - not as good as t-****s and ham and swill, but still funny. Do ya think she's doin' it on purpose to see if we'll catch her?  ound:



Yeah, yeah that's the case. I'll buy that, lol. Nope....just me and my fat fingers on the keyboard. My poor fingers can't keep up with my brain. You should see all the typo's I fix BEFORE I hit submit. My friends in college use to say English had to be my second language, because no one growing up speaking it as a first language could slaughter it that badly, lol.:sob: So I'm getting better:help:


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

I've been very busy the last 3 days. The weather has turned cool. Down into the 40's at night and only 70's during the day. Perfect working outside weather.

Internet was down when I tried to log on today. I don't know how long it was down because I haven't had time to turn the computer on since Sunday.

I picked and canned another 11 pints of green beans. Planted another row of beans and plan to plant potatoes, lettuce and turnips tomorrow. Our neighbor behind us has a lilac hedge that he does not maintain. Dh and I started cutting the dead wood and trees from our side of the hedge. We didn't get far before dh had to give up so I'm thinking of asking my ds to come help me with it. Only problem with that is ds is only available when the neighbor is home and I prefer to work on it while neighbor is at work. 

After I spoke to the city clerk she phoned the police chief who just happens to live across the street from the house having the sale. He called the family and strongly suggested they have a family member keep a close eye on the sale and told them about my problems with the lady conducting the sale not paying me. I guess the family must have told her about the police because I got an accounting and a check in the mail today! I guess it was good the Internet was down and I was busy because I was prepared to launch a Facebook warning about this lady's business practices. Maybe I should do that anyway because it took 18 months and a call to the police before she paid me. I have to think I'm not the only one she's taken advantage of thru the years.

Dh's pain levels have gone off the charts the last couple of weeks. Tonight was especially bad. I'm hoping he'll call the pain center tomorrow to discuss options with them.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Cooler here this morning....71F WOO HOO.......maybe a chance of rain.....come on...BRING IT!! Is what I say!

I have to work late tonight..ugh.

I froze the strawberries I bought... until I have time to make jam. I may never get caught back up.

Lugged buckets of rain water to the orchard and watered the Apple and Peach trees more......we got some rain....but not enough. I am going to move these trees to the new farm this fall, so I am trying to baby them. I need to buy more tree gators, but I am trying to wait until my debt is gone.

I plan to pick up another $100 worth of coffee this week. I will have some OT pay... so that will go toward preps.

*MGM* - We will see what she gets done....... We have been trying to leave her alone, so she can get it done.
*Jen* - You are such a good sport.......We love to tease you......You make us laugh so hard! {{{{HUGS}}}}


Well, it 's time for me to get on with my day......Blessings all.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Texasdirtdigger said:


> .
> *Jen* - You are such a good sport.......We love to tease you......You make us laugh so hard! {{{{HUGS}}}}


Why shouldn't you laugh...it's funny! You guys find them and point them out and I usually laugh to the point of tears in my eyes when I see it!! Life is rough enough, glad I can be comic relief for all of us!!

Refreshingly cool here!!!!! I'm so happy, best birthday present EVER! 

Taking DD to camp today, have this next year's school stuff spread out all over a table.....going to get sorted, planned and organized. We start on 11 Aug....first day both kids are home from all camps 

I have 12 qts of green beans "cooling" on the counter. What the really means is I need to take off the rings, wash, label and put them away. But if I keep telling myself they are still cooling...I can ignore them a bit longer, lol (some were caned on Monday.....getting hard to claim they are still cooling on Wednesday, but I'm trying  ). Like TDD....I, too, hate the "clean up" part of canning.

Off to cut veggies for lunch. Our traditional "to camp" lunch is aMcD's hamburger with a bag of fresh veg and drink from home.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

The bush green beans are coming in! Pole beans have a little bit to go. The family leaves tomorrow, I'm hoping to be able to can some before I go back to work and have no time again. I had planned the end of this vacation for canning, but the garden is not cooperating. Although the cucumbers have blossoms and I bet I'll have a few soon. 

Ann - hope there is a solution or some relief for your husband, it's horrible seeing your loved ones in pain. 

Off to Crater Lake National Park today! But I need to get some zucchini marinated and grilled first and get pizza dough made for tonight first....


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

48.9 this am!!! Loving it. Got the orchard garden totally weeded and found 4 large buttercup squash. We moved our squash to this new location in hopes of fooling the squash bugs and so far it is working along with DE and egg smashing as needed.

Pa is helpfully peeing around the sweet potato plants....deer adore the leaves. He and son collecting their urine. Then son dilutes and adds Epsom salts and I must say his the combo works. Revived some almost dead from bugs zucchini and getting squash daily.

Today must pick tomatoes...and find the Squeezo. They are in full production. And beets ready to can. Called the Mennonite store and peaches will be here in a week or so. We actually have plums this year. First time.

Corgis are made of only hair...it's a fact. Only good part about Arthur being 13 is he can't get up on the furniture anymore or climb the stairs so hair isn't quite everywhere. Ceiling fans blow it into piles.....

Patting myself on the back..finally mastered mitered corners on my latest quilt binding. What can't you learn on Utube? We are a flea market here that sells quilt fabric for $3.99/y...not junk. Discontinued Moda mostly. Great for buying backing yardage. They have all the colors separated into different booths.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Worked in the garden all morning. Spaded up a spot and planted two short rows of potatoes then filled in in other places with green beans, turnips, lettuce and radishes. Mosquitoes are horrendous so I had on all my "gear" i.e. long sleeved shirt, jeans and hat with head net. The mosquitoes would land all over my head net until I'd have to **** them away. My gear isn't bad when its 70 but I'm not looking forward to wearing it when its back up to 90!


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## BoldViolet (Feb 5, 2009)

We're having a cool spell here in GA, too. High of 80.

I made blackberry jam yesterday for the first time ever. Even did a waterbath to can them. Everything seemed to gel correctly.  Pretty proud of myself, despite getting blackberry all over my kitchen when it was cooking.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

71F again today...... Rain is north of us.....But, hopefully it will droop a little and bless us.

I emptied a rain barrel.....finger crossed.

Have a good one!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

_Mpillow, your garden is going like gangbusters, especially considering how long you have to wait to put it in. I could use a bit of your extra water...we're definitely heading into drought season here. My garden soil is very sandy, and it's like shoveling powder already this year. Makes it easier to weed, but I have to put a lot more water to it._

That's how it is in Maine....its an odd year when we have to water at all....however my parents do have sandy soil and water a bit.....If I put a few truckloads from the goat barn down up there the soil would def. hold water better. You can use the "innards" of diapers nicely too....for containers too!
We planted corn like June 4?. Its 4ft high...of its full 6ft...its a SH2 for 65 days. Potatoes planted june 10 are 3ft or better....
Everything comes at once here so it gets CRAZY in the kitchen.

Sun and lower humidity after 1.5 inches of rain over 2 days....the bull is saying "MOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWW" and the garden needs serious weeding.


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Worked in garden most of yesterday. Picked two 5-gal. buckets tomatoes and canned them this am. Enough saved out to get a pot of spaghetti sauce going. Pulled several rows of onions which are drying in greenhouse and sorted 5#'s of small ones which Pa peeled and sliced with the mandolin(and his Kevlar glove this time--no time for the ER!). Now in the Excalibur and will be onion powder. So much more potent than the store stuff.

Weeded thru the strawberry patch...never saw so many runners in all my years growing berries. Will have enough to start more rows this fall. Bindweed still doing the best of everything on the farm......

Finally got an order in to EE for yeast and milk. Hope they have sale on instant potatoes again this fall as we use a lot of them. Found a local source of food grade 55 gal barrels for $35.Good price? I think so. Pa and son going to weld up a rack so we can double stack them. 

All that gardening left me with really achy hips so took an Ultram...and proceeded to be awake until 4 am. Thinking back to the last time I took one and had serious insomnia then,too so guess I won't be taking them anymore. Don't know what I'll do as most everything else makes me itch like crazy. Don't plan to get hip replacement surgery as recommended as too many restrictions on what you can do afterwords and I don't plan to give up gardening and bending and crossing my legs!

Guess I'll try for a little nap. Nice sleeping in this cooler weather but 90's coming back in the forecast. We could use some Texas rain...not floods now, just rain.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Phew, the family has all gone home! It was actually one of the best visits ever, both my dad and sister who usually cause problems were "on their best behavior" per my mom. So, the other sister drove me nuts instead  But wow, feeding and entertaining 8 people is a lot of work! I am left with too much wine (that won't go to waste!), ice cream and potato chips....

So I go out first thing this morning, pick piles more green beans that are just coming in, shelling peas, realize the leeks are finally ready as are scallions I want to dehydrate. I come in with all this produce and realize I'm so exhausted. I think I can handle getting leeks and scallions into the dehydrator. I think. Oh, and we harvested all the cabbages while everyone was here, they are in the spare fridge...

Temps are improving. Was high 90's for the visit, way too hot! Now dropping to low 90's and into the 80's in a few days.


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## Cancer_survivor (Aug 7, 2012)

I just picked up 2 more cases of water. ASAP I'm going to buy a hand pump for our well


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Started moving mulched leaves to the 'supposed to be' strawberry bed. I've planted and replanted 4 times and have the grand total of 3 plants. I put raspberries into one end of the bed and have heavily mulched the whole with leaves. I plan to add grass clippings on top when the yard is mowed. So help me I'm going to get a strawberry bed again!

The morning started off good with laundry ready to go on the line and mulching done then dh decided to "help" me and got down and could not get up. He exhaused both of us trying to get him up and finally I called for assistance. Small towns are great the officer on duty came out and helped him up and into the house. I'm not sure he's okay, but he says he is. It will not be pleasant around here if he decides at midnight he needs to go to the ER.

I still need to hang laundry and pick beans so hope I get another wave of energy from somewhere soon.


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

Ooooeeee there's nothing that makes me feel "prepped", like bringing in a pile of spuds from the garden:


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Homesteader - beautiful array of potatoes! We're going to dig tomorrow and see if the gophers left us any. 

Ann - fingers crossed for no ER visits! 

Had to go to town all day today :badmood: but I did save the day by canning green beans this morning before we left. It was so hot and dry and ugly down in the valley.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Got my beans picked. Looks like I'll have 6 or 7 pints to can tomorrow. Dh came outside to talk to me when I was picking and almost fell. I told him no going out the door whether to the backyard or to town without his cane. Hopefully he will pay attention. He said that he couldn't do any work with the cane. I pointed out that he cannot get up if he goes down so maybe that should be his focus rather than work.

All the stress today has left me totally exhausted but my nerves are so jangled that I know I'll have trouble sleeping.


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Weather supposed to start heading back up to 90's so we've been working furiously on outdoor projects this week. So pleasant at 70....and 50's at night! My mama used to make me wear leggings until it was over 50...now you see kids wearing shorts all winter!

Bringing tomatoes in by the 5 gal. pail now. Pulled another 25# bag of onions that are curing in greenhouse. 3# dehydrated onions =1/2 pint onion powder! But way potent. Pa and I planted 6 long rows beans and harvested way more cukes than we could ever use so I peeled/sliced them up and sent them off with son to work. He loves a healthy snack on the night shift. 

Finished the pinks socks for DIL, cast on some for son. This is a prep...no one likes cold feet. Only use the nice washable wool yarns.

Son and DIL have been doing all the mowing/weedwacking here in lieu of rent. First time the orchards have looked so fine all year. Looks like another bumper crop of Concord grapes. Sticking to my no grocery shopping month--they did buy Pa some ice cream. Yesterday we had spaghetti with tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic from the garden.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

On Heavy OT the last couple of days....... have to go in for 4 hrs today. I am so tired.
Cooler here.... wish I had time to enjoy it.
Very little rain in my area.... just missed us......GOSHDARNIT!
Oh well......Tomorrow is another day.

New Farm run sometime this weekend......

Have a most wonderful day!


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

manygoats - please check in so that we'll know you're okay!!


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Busy weekend.
Worked 4 hrs OT Saturday.
Dh and I went to the feed store...ugh! Everything just keeps going up in price.
We then had lunch and wound up at an Antique "Parlor" We found an outstanding fire place mantle.....it came home with us.

Yesterday we went to the new farm. Took a truck load. While I was there.....I wormed the Mini Horse and Gina, the "grandmaw" donkey.

The former owner is still making some progress moving out. She has 10 more days......then she will be talking to our attorney...if she's not finished.

After we came home, We had to go buy a battery for my old car..... She has been sitting. We got her started and washed her real good.

Worked out in the Orchard. Had to stake an Apple tree. Watered them all really well, with the last of the rain water.

We are back in the Triple digits this week...Last week was so refreshing.....it's all over.

Well, I'm off... who knows what today holds.
Ya'll have a Blessed one!


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

It's finally cooled off! 65 right now at 10 am. We were going to go on a canoeing picnic today or tomorrow since I am on vacation, but with clouds and thunderstorms, fire watches etc we decided to stay home and get on top of the garden. For me that means more dehydrating and canning. The Excalibur is full of leeks, green beans and one tray of zucchini that I knew wasn't going to get eaten. 

We did find potatoes! Here's a few that DH picked and I canned on Saturday. Made a nice 7 24 oz jars with leftovers for a potato salad. Many more being dug up today. It's not the time of year to store them in the garage so canning and dehydrating coming up. 

The green beans were just a bit what I gleaned after picking the day before! And it's just the beginning. The pole beans haven't even started yet. We have at least 100' of pole beans. What DH thinks we're going to do with all of them I don't know. They are great to give away though, people do love green beans, unlike zucchini!!


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

My back is getting better....emphasis on getting. So I'm moving kind of slow still. Still know what I "did" to it, it just seized up. My biggest accomplishment was mowing the grass, alone. We have a pull start-push mower....Grass HAD to be cut while both kids were gone. It was going to rain when DS was home and it would have been impossible to mow if I had waited till today when it was dry and DD was home again. yard's a bit soupy, too, so it might not have been possible to cut today either. But I won and it got cut (and I could still walk the next day, lol)!

I have gotten back to the canning, finished up the last of the beans (5 pints) and have 8 pts of cole slaw caning now. 

I did my "Teaching the Classics" seminar while the kids were gone.....so I'm rip roaring ready to go for this school year! Literary Analysis here we come.

Now I need to work on Girl Scouts, I have all the girls coming on Thursday to spend the night. I want them to help me plan out this year.....I really want them to start taking on the responsibilities. I have 2 Cadettes (both 6th graders) and 2 Juniors (one 5th graders and one 4th grader)....so they are the right age to start learning to run this


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Went to town and grocery shopped at Aldis and Fareway spent $94.71. I "looked" at the meat counter but didn't buy. I've decided we're going to use up every bit of meat from the freezer before I buy at current prices. Maybe prices will go down before I have to buy again! Also, spent another $90 at Walmart which included a couple of $20 Trac phone cards.

I'm going to do my best not to grocery shop again before 8/8. 

Its really hot today - heat index at 100 or higher. Tomorrow is to be even hotter. A/c is on for only the second time this summer. I don't mind the heat but dh can't breathe when its so hot and humid. We're getting quite dry again so I'm hoping we get a good shower sometime this week. I've watered my new blueberries and raspberries but cannot afford to water the whole garden.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

101F yesterday....UGH! Soppy Humidity....hot-wet blanket feeling, when you are out in it. Miserable. Air is stagnant. 


Not much else, but work going on. 
Dh and I spent some time looking at tile for his bath.....He is overwhelmed LOL......too many choices. I'll let him flounder for a bit....then I'll "suggest" that he choose... this and that. LOL!!

*Vosey* - Those spuds look GOOD!

*MGM* - Is that big fire close to you?? Check in Missy!!!


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

TDD - I just checked MGM's address and it looks like she is west of the Cascades so no fires there yet. I send her a PM. She needs to check in!!


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

First 14 jars tomatoes thru the canner and an equal amt. tomatoes almost ripe covering my kitchen table. Did them thru the Squeezo and came back from gathering eggs to discover Pa had washed it...it really is a pain to wash so that was sure nice of him. We've had ours for, probably, 40 years....bought it from Countryside magazines' store way back when. So all metal even. Try to avoid looking at the terrific amt. of maters in the garden I could be picking.....

Happiness is getting the Tread Climber out of my living room. Kids taking it to their place. Finally I'll be able to shampoo carpet and move the bookcases. They desperately need dusting and going thru for the library book sale. Think the whole quilting section is from my donations! And the farming/gardening section. Amazon makes it so easy to buy with 1-click!

Yesterday I made a potholder...on my sewing machine and quilted it. Then using Jenny's great tutorial on binding I made four perfect mitered corners. Think I could actually quilt a full size quilt if prepared properly using the quilt as you go method.
Going to start with s couple of lap quilt tops from the UFO box. Admit freely I'd rather piece than finish any day. Determined to get my moneys worth out of this expensive machine...it has a quilting stitch that looks like hand work.

The fires out west are horrific. Here is supposed to be 100 today but then rain, maybe, tomorrow. We've actually had a pretty nice summer with enough rain that we haven't had to water. Something going on with our deep well. Pa says probably the bladder in the pump again so there goes more money. Water cuts out. It wasn't the switch that is easily replaced and we always have a spare on hand.

$319 to replace that sliding glass door 'cause we have an "expensive" Anderson door; not metal. So first glass wasn't right and the second one came in and they broke it putting it on the truck. Third time will be the charm? Dealt with this company often so know they aren't jazzing us....most of the windows were broken when we bought this old house and they replaced them all.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Last day of vacation today :grump: I'm about to go out and pick green bean, DH would love it if I made dilly beans. 

Ann - it's about time for me to do another freezer inventory and eat it up! That's how I ended up in this thread, doing an inventory and holding myself accountable, but somehow the freezer is full again....

Forecast today is for thunderstorms and high fire risk. Knock on wood, no fires in our area yet.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

I got my towels on the clothes line early before the lines got into the sun. It will be very HOT taking them down in the full sun later. Temps are supposed to be near 100 and over 100 heat index. I also picked the green beans while they were still in the shade. Probably have another 9 or so pints. I'm headed back to the kitchen to start processing.

I was reading Cook's Country magazine and it says preshredded cheese has added coatings that can negatively affect texture. I've often bought preshredded when it was the same price as the block. Now I'm going to think twice about using preshredded. I have a hand cranked machine that shreds cheese very quickly. There are several different cones so I can have fine shreds or larger shreds. I don't use the food processor to shred cheese as it goes too fast and really messes up the cheese rather than shredding it neatly.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

*TDD* and *Cindy*, Missy checking in as ordered! Didn't mean to worry anyone, but I was just swamped with the community fair and too tired to post when I got home. I did read a bit on this thread Friday night while I waited for a couple of my dgds to finish swimming (after dark). I took L and K home from the fair with me that night and brought them back to their dad at the fair the next morning. The pool was a huge hit, along with the floaty rafts. 

No, the huge fire is pretty much at the far end of the state from me, thankfully. I do know that area, and considered buying property there many years ago. It's a beautiful place and I just hate to see this happen. There are many fires in OR, too, after we had lightning strikes last week across the PNW. Please keep the firefighters and landowners in your prayers - wildfire is such a fast moving, unpredictable disaster. You can go from "safe", to trapped amazingly quickly. Some of the homeowners in the WA fire area still have homes, but have lost power. With power went the ability to pump water to keep their homes protected. Really brings the need for preps to pump large quantities of water to the forefront. For example, I have my genny ready to plug in and run for the house (most essential parts of the house, anyway), but it is still not wired to power my well pump. I'm re-thinking the urgency of completing that prep. It's so dry here in summer, especially this summer, that wildfire is always a possibility.

I survived the fair and really enjoyed getting together with all my family again. The extended family on my dad's side is all involved with the local fair and has been since before I was born. My sister is one of the superintendents of the home ec/domestic arts dept, my sister-in-law runs the Dairy Bar, the Grange food booth, as has my brother most years if he's not haying (which he was this year). Their grown kids and my son help man the Dairy Bar, and this year, my oldest (and newest to me) granddaughter worked in there, too. That means all the babies and kids are at the fair and I'm in Gramma heaven! Only local one that didn't make it to the fair this year was my older dd and her kids (bummed that she had to work). Seemed strange not to have her there after shepherding my daughters through many years of 4-H and fair time. I get to visit with cousins and their kids and grands, and it's just a big ol' family reunion. Then add in working with former long-time neighbors in the fair office, and re-connecting with old friends and classmates, and it's easy to see why our local fair is a very big deal for me. 

My garden dept looked good this year - lots of entries, including a 16 pound cabbage grown from a seed by a 9 year old. That one not only won Youth Best in Show, but was the talk of the dept with everyone who came through. Personally, I won all blues for my herbs, apples, and rhubarb, with an honorable mention on the rhubarb and an "Outstanding" rosette on my herb bouquet. Best of all, my display garden out in front won the President's Award. I added 2 other ladies' names to that entry, as they helped water and weed for me. I thought they needed credit for it. 

Today has been cool and drizzly - kind of a nice break before it heats up again. I have 5 flats of petunias to plant, and an artichoke plant to find a safe home for. It was donated to my display garden by a plant vendor from the fair (same place I got 5 flats of plants for $20). Now I just have to keep it alive and thriving in a big pot that can be moved into the ground in the display garden for fair time next year.

That's about it from here - not a lot of preps done in the past week due to the fair, but now it's back to weeding and shoveling, rebuilding my raised beds and renovating the flower beds around the house, and planting more vegie seeds for short season and fall gardens.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

OMG...Just when I think it can't possibly get worse at work......they deal us another blow.....I won't go into the details...but, it affects my team....or what is left of my team. I am too old for all the drama. This time it is a major upset.

I am really worn thin with it all.

Hot, Hot, Hot here. Air still muggy and stagnant.

I watered the orchard last night...again. 99F yesterday. 102 for today and for the foreseeable future. Hard to believe, we had a 68F degree day last week.

MGM - Glad all is well. Congrats on the Blues, etc.

Have a blessed day.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

After our two hot days temps have moderated again. Today is actually about perfect with temps in high 70's and a nice breeze.

I ended up with 18 pints of beans yesterday. I was surprised as I didn't think I had picked that many! All are sealed ready to be washed ans stored away.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

*TDD*, I think I found your one cool day...in the 60's here today, and it absolutely poured rain repeatedly. I'm so happy not to have to water the gardens! Sorry to hear that work is especially sucky right now.  Hang in there, friend. 
*Ann*, I wish I was canning. I've frozen rhubarb sauce and rhubarb, but that's all so far this summer.

I had an amazingly lovely day today. Found out on fb last night that one of my best friends from high school was in town (unfortunately due to her father passing away) and that the Red Panty Gang (the ladies of my high school graduating class) would be lunching with her today. I actually made it there and really had fun catching up with gals I hadn't seen for, in some cases, 37 years! We can't be that old.  

My bff was one of the gang at lunch and had been working in the ag building at the county fair. She was headed back there after lunch, and I volunteered to show up to help for a while, too. Stopped to get groceries and then spent 3 hours pouring cracked corn onto meat trays and arranging fruit and veg entries on them.

It was still pouring rain when I got home, so I tucked in with You Tube to finish watching the Wartime Farm series. Oh, that was an awesome show! They showed how to do so many things I'd read about, but had never seen. I'm a very visual learner, so seeing the process of turning flax into thread was amazingly helpful. I'm checking out the Tudor Monastery Farm next.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Loving the wartime farm (with the girls), too!

Finalizing college kids finances, my garden is about to go crazy....green/yellow beans, zukes...corn tasseling...I checked a row of red taters and they are silver dollar sized!

And the woodshed is FULL! and half of next year drying cut and split...

blueberries are nearly ripe at my parents...


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Done some harvesting, red potatoes, zucchini and tomatoes. Haven't done anything with them.....but they are in the house  

Getting ready to retreat for the night.....I have spent the last 20 minutes listing to 4 little girls (ages 9-11) try to figure out how to lay out their sleeping bags for the night, lol. I walked them to the park after dinner....let them play for a hour while I read then walked home. Now they are putting in Mork and Mindy....hope this won't be a late night. They are planing on watching The Silent Movie (yes, Mel Brooke's) last, so they can wind down. Not sure what they will watch in between. 3 of the girls have never seen either of these.....yeah, my girl is "corrupting" the others


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Agggggggggh....I just want this week to be OVER!

That is all.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Happy Friday for those of us who toil outside the homestead:banana: Hope your week is soon over TDD! Going back to work this week was very painful, even if it was only 2 1/2 days. I am exhausted from it. 

I'm going to the butcher shop today when I get off work. I haven't been for a bit as I we were supposed to be getting 10 butchered Cornish Cross from a co-worker, but she never got her act in gear. I have a friend bringing me 4 rabbits today to work. I was reading a thread in the main forum about cost of beef and realized I think our butcher shop's hanging weight 1/4 - 1/2 are a really good price. They had a sign up last week for local ground beef 2.78 lb. Hoping that's still on. If nothing else they have the BEST pork chops. 

I did go through and re-pack our fire evacuation bag after Gray Wolf's posting about being evacuated in Washington. Good thing I did, discovered I'd raided the cash in a pinch and forgotten to replace it. Typical. 

Pretty sure this weekend will be about more green beans and hopefully harvesting enough beets to can some more or maybe pickle some. Little yellow cherry tomatoes are coming in, they're delicious.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Yippee!! My mechanic just called. I had my Jeep in for repairs last week. Needed a tune up and plugs as it was missing. Got it home and it started missing again, low power, coughing, etc. Hubby's out of town so no big deal having mine in the shop as I just use his Jeep. Call the mechanic and he says he was hoping it was just the plugs ( they were original...it's a 7+ yr old car!), but it must need coil, too. I was to drop it off any time, and I reminded him I had a spare Jeep, so no rush. They just called....it's done....no charge! 

Girls are running around this morning.....dragging a bit of butt, lol. I made blueberry, banana and plain pancakes for breakfast - great crowd pleaser. Only rules for today.....they have to be dressed by lunch, lol. I'm making taco salad for lunch.....another good "buffet" style meal so they can put on what they like and skip what they don't.

I tried cleaning the seats in DH's Jeep yesterday. Need to go out and see how they look once dry. May take another washing to two. I have no idea what he got all over them.....looks like chocolate milk (makes the cleaning water look like choc milk, too). But how he got it on every seat in the Jeep I have no idea , I guess he's just talented.

I should go out and weedwack.....yard is in dyer need. Temps are nice and low. I need to come up with a good reason not too....because "I don't want to" isn't good enough, lol.


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## NBC3Mom (May 14, 2005)

Busy time catching up from vacation. My to-do list at work is down to 7 items, and that is just last week's work. 

DH has been taking care of the garden this week, watering, weeding, picking zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, cabbage. Dried beans are finished and drying in trays on the screened porch. We should have enough for a few batches of ham and beans this winter. The weather has been so cool we have no ripe tomatoes, not even cherry or grape. My prepper co-worker brought me 4 tomatoes yesterday, nothing beats the taste. Plans for the weekend: shred and freeze zucchini, can pickles, bake white bread and zucchini bread. 

Discovered the hard way that multi-tasking just leads to more work. I was baking parmesan zucchini, mixing zucchini bread, and making a jug of sweet tea. The zucchini was starting to burn and when I hurried to take it out of the oven, I knocked over the entire pitcher of tea. I turned the oven down and put the bread in to bake while I cleaned up the sticky tea mess. Then I realized that the bread was burning. The temperature reading on my oven is hard to see when the sun is shining on it and by mistake, I had set it to 550* instead of 450* for the zucchini and 425* instead of 325* for the bread. DH was very sweet, he said he sort of liked the taste of burnt zucchini.

Prepper/coworker just brought me a bag of cucumbers....I didn't have the heart to tell him I have tons already at home! We will appreciate them as pickles in the winter. 

Have a great weekend, Everyone!


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

We were blessed with just over an inch of rain last night. Lots of wind with it so I had to go out and tie up a couple of tomatoes that blew over. Also, one pepper and several stalks of corn blew over. I need to pick beans again but it was too wet when the beans were in the shade and its too hot for me to pick in the sun. Maybe this evening. I need to get the 18 pints washed and moved to storage before I start processing a new batch so I guess that is my next project. Need to finish dusting the living room too.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

College stuff is DONE! Bills are paid, mail sorted and filed.....picked a handful of green beans last night!

My sister has zukes so she sent me a few...last night I had a half pound of burger so I sauteed the zukes/onions/meat together and topped with parmesan shake cheese...into hot dog rolls(add your choice of condiments)....it made 10 hot dog style sandwiches with just a half pound!!! and they were delish! Some homemade french fries also....wish I had some cukes to slice into vinegar!!!

Actually there is still a bit of meat/veg mix left over....so I may just add some whisked eggs and call it breakfast tomorrow! yum!


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## moldy (Mar 5, 2004)

One of my former students (from my canning CSA) is coming to pick this afternoon. I painted the outside of my back door (great weather for painting - I'll give you that). I work this weekend, so I'm thinking the kids will be stripping the garden this weekend, so I can deal with the produce on Monday. It's way easy to forget to do maintainence, but it sure will catch you in the end. I really need to get the house repainted this summer, but.... I've been putting it off for at least 2 years, and I really need to get it done.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Oh Moldy, we have an albatross of a wonderful old home on the market right now, I so wish we had painted it when we should have. I'm afraid it might be what doesn't get us what we need for the house. My parents always painted one side of the house/sheds/barn every year. Kept it manageable! 

So, no butcher shop. I work a 1/2 day on Fridays and if I take the long loop home I go through a small town with an OK grocery store, gas stations etc. But to go to the butcher shop I have to turn left instead of right and go 10 miles to a town in the opposite direction of home. Just couldn't do it today eep: I just always want to be home and nowhere else. But I did get my rabbits, they were just slaughtered this morning so not yet frozen, I'm thinking I'll cook them up tomorrow then can them. I've never had canned rabbit, one of my co-workers raves about canned rabbit, her favorite childhood food.


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Getting 2- 5 gallon pails tomatoes every day so I'm, pretty much, stuck in the kitchen. Our Mennonite store got their peaches in so we bought two bushels. Beautiful but not quite ripe so I get a bit of a reprieve. Pa spent time washing up 4 dozen pints jars so we're ready to go. $28 a bushel; $4 more a bushel. Up like everything else. We prefer our home canned fruit though as we like a light syrup. Worth the time. We'll dole them out through the winter....chopped with a bit of cinnamon on ice cream, yum. Or easily thickened to make a pie or cobbler.

We have peaches but so much rain this spring left them pretty ugly and good only for jam. Same with the plums. Apple crop looking good though and the grapes are getting huge. Harvested rest of the onions. Already cured and put 40# in store room plus all the little ones dehydrated. 3 pts. of onion powder on the shelf so far.

Grocery had name brand canned veggies for .77 a can so bought 4 cases beans and one case of corn. Haven't checked the Aldi price on veggies lately but probably wouldn't save that much as is a 90 mile trip for us. Potatoes are back down to .19/lb and decent new crop. Sure hate peeling a bunch of 'taters trying to get enough for a meal. 

Darn deer into my sweet potato patch again...they relish the leaves. Our darn Pyrenees spends all her time at the kids playing with their dogs! Barely comes home for supper . Told them a couple of gun shots and she'd leave but they won't do it. As a long time stray think she heard her share of guns. She still tends to be a scavenger dragging home neighbors garbage...old bags of garbage, jeans, a boot!


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## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

Mutti, maybe you need to get another dog as a companion for yours...or maybe it wouldn't keep her home, maybe she'd convince another to join her at your kid's place!

Slowly working on projects around here, thinking we won't get the barns and sheds painted again this year. Too hot right now, and fall and hunting season coming up, so that will take DH away. He's been mowing like a fiend to keep them mosquitoes down. Now, if we could just harvest them and dehydrate, maybe they'd be a source of protein!


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

I lived thru the work week......BUT......It was not easy.:grumble:

We took a truck and trailer load to the new farm. I am happy to report.....She left right in front of us....... she's out......It was a nice surprise. We are very relieved......I just knew we were going to have a fight on our hands. So.......IT IS ALL OURS NOW!!! WOOT!!..... YIPPIE!! and HALLEUJAH!!:happy:

Suffering hot here. 104 yesterday...... same today.

Garden is toast.....I hope to have the fall garden at the new farm. Good Lord willing.

She did leave me a few canning jars and a water bath canner.

Well not much else to report...... Hope you have a good one.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Great news TDD! 

I'm taking a quick break while the canner's going with 8 pints of rabbit. Picked the last of the bush beans yesterday and ate and froze them, the pole beans and yellow wax should be coming in pretty soon.harvested more leeks and froze those as well. Got yet another meals worth of broccoli from shoots, love those little shoots that just kept putting out a little more. Picked just about the last of the lettuce. Doesn't sound like much for a weekends worth of work, but with laundry and usual weekend chores and swimming in the lake  that seems to take all my time! 

We're planning our fall/winter garden and going through seeds. DH will get them started in flats on the deck this week so they can stay moist in the heat. 

It's gonna be August very soon!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

We had a party for my 2 oldest kids today....DD 18 to get ready for college and DS 20th birthday....it was fun BUT...
My son had been gone for the weekend with his buddies and was running late to party...we called and finally got him and he sounded like he was DRUNK.....then all of a sudden here comes a loud pickup truck dropping him in the driveway....I WAS APE CRAP MAD...and I picked up a stick and started yelling....."Fooled you , mum! Don't hit me!"

Guess we all know what payback is.....LOL


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

My computer is totally screwed up -- my Vista is "not valid" -- so I've got to haul it back to town gre:. To top it off, when I took it in last time I took my system disks and they didn't return them. gre:gre:

All I've done today is bake bread. I'd thought to take a break from baking bread during hot weather and bought a couple loaves. Ended up throwing away part of the first loaf and the second is still in the freezer. It just tastes awful compared to homemade and it was Sara Lee brand. 

Also, did some clearing of files/shredding/throwing away of a lot of paper. It seems to have a life of its own and reproduces when I'm not looking. When Congress talks about government waste they should look at all the unnecessary paperwork required for Medicare. Tons and tons of stuff no one looks at arrives monthly if not daily.

Does anyone know if Target price matches with the Walmart ad? Walmart has socks I need on sale, but I have money on a Target gift card I'd like to use instead of out-of-pocket at Walmart.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Got out for a little while and went to Tuesday Morning. I found a great Mattress pad and a couple of new blankets. Stopped by Ace Hardware, still looking at paint samples......picked up 10 drop cloths and more paint chips.

Only supposed to be a cool and balmy 98F today.

Work promises to be horrific...... I'll just have to suck it up. (HEAVY SIGH)

Cooked a crock pot full of doggie delight.

Well, I'm off......Have a good one.!


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

TDD, think about what your job is doing to your health. Maybe walking away and flipping burgers might be better. Of course, only you know the whole story of what's going on and what you need in the way of a job. HUGS!!

Just got home from the mechanic, LOL...yep - car's back in. This so isn't bothering me, not sure exactly why. I have a "spare car" all this week, still. My guess that's the reason. Of course all the other "issues" in my life have me on edge at the moment (school starting, scouts starting, etc). I truly think all will be right in my world when DH get's home Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Having him gone for a month is NOT normal for us.....I think it's starting to "get to me". Hope his next trip (in a month or so) is only the 2 weeks he's normally gone- 4 weeks sucks! At least his boss said he's not allowed to come into work on Thursday and Friday....he has to stay home


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Well I hauled my computer in to the shop and they did a quick fix. Problem was with a Windows update. Now the fan on the computer sounds awful so I'm going to have to take it in yet again. At least no charge today.

Checked prices on canning jars and Menards is a full $2 less than Walmart. Picked up another dozen pints. I also picked up a package of Mrs. Wages kosher dill mix. I've never ever been able to get decent crisp dills so I'm going to try the mix. Dh won't eat pickles but likes them ground up in sandwich spread.

Went to Goodwill and picked up two CD"s of big band music for $2. I've always loved the big band sound probably because that was the only records my folks had. I also found an outfit for the girl at church I buy for for $4. I'd picked up some paperback books but didn't buy them because they were $1 each and 25Â¢ is the usual amount at thrift shops. I thought it odd that they did not have any small appliances in the store -- not a one. I've been told the "good" stuff gets shipped to the Sioux City store and I'm beginning to believe it.


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## moldy (Mar 5, 2004)

Cleaned out the cellar yesterday. It's where we store potatoes, so there were five 5 gallon buckets of icky ones down there. I was surprised it wasn't more. Not happy about the waste, but honestly, we ate a lot of potatoes this last year. I didn't grow any this year - but I"ve got a bunch canned. 

Went to the orchard we usually frequent. I took some fresh veggies to the owner. We try to go and clean up the ground under the trees for drops and to keep down the rodent population. Owner said take all you want - Guess we'll have cider this year!! I'm excited. 

The farmer next door is doing some aerial spraying, so no being out in the garden this morning. Think I'll do some baking, and maybe some painting.


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

Zucchini are coming in strong! Canning Zesty Zucchini Relish this morning. Forgot that it needs to cook down for about 45 minutes. Need to look up some other recipes. Will probably make the zucchini blueberry bread. It is really good!

Wax beans are doing well. Tomatoes are still green and not looking like they are going to do anything very soon. We had a lot of rain yesterday and today it is very cool. Great for canning but we need heat to get tomatoes and cukes! DH wants me to make the refrigerator dills but we've only gotten a fes cukes so far and we've eaten those.

Got a new dog that I'll have to post pictures of later. Working on basic training that he never had (he's 6 years old) and getting him on a potty schedule. He is "kind of" housebroken. But he is a sweetheart and I am back to doing lots of walking!

TDD - worried about you and your job! If this is a contract position is it possible to be placed with another company?

Linda Marie - please check in so we'll know you haven't been eaten by a bear!!


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Worked on pruning the dead wood, trees and trash from our side of neighbor's hedge. I now have 3 brush piles and I've only just started on the clean out. Its a hard job. Dh helped me a little last week but I could quickly see it was too much for him so I'll just keep chipping away at it. The neighbor who planted the hedge kept it in pristine condition but alas he got old and died. He and his wife were absolutely the best neighbors. The current neighbor is a single man with revolving lady friends who is not interested in keeping up his yard. Oh well, the hedge mostly blocks our view of his mess so I just need to get our side of the hedge cleaned up. Its kind of tricky because the hedge and 3' on our side of it are actually his property. However, we've mowed that 3' and have kept up our side of the hedge cleaned out for the last 10 years since he moved there. Legally we maybe could claim that 3', but we'd never do that.

I need to pick beans and probably cucumbers later this afternoon, but first a rest. 

In my campaign to use what's in my freezer I dug out and thawed a turkey breast so I need to remember to get it into the oven mid-afternoon. Sweet potatoes from last year's harvest and green beans from the garden sound good to go with it. Nice thing about turkey is leftovers and not having to cook for several days!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

The wind is bending my corn patch every which way....

Massive t-storm here last night and beautiful today....I have a skunk visiting the rabbitry.... P_U

Mowed enough to quiet the bull (he bugles like an elk) and weeded some, picked a dinner amount of green beans, a red tomato and an accidental potato...

Have told the butcher "Stupid"(the bull) is ready for freezer camp as is his veal critter "Norman D." D is for Dummy.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

I washed the kitchen floor!! Yea, that is actually exciting....it's the chore that always falls off the "to do" list. Scrubbed up some spots on the carpet and the sofas, too.

Tinkered with the Aladdin lamp I won back in May. DD and I ate supper by lantern light....wow, that thing is bright! Being it's late July we had to close all the curtains in the dining room to enjoy it, lol......but it was fun! Now I want another one ...it's times like this when living less then an hour from Lehman's in NOT a good thing...

Firmed up plans with friends for our "caning how to" we are having next week. 2 of us can and one wants to learn. I'm the only one that has ever used the Tattlers, even though one of my friends has bought a bunch, so I'll be "teaching" those as well. 3 ladies in the kitchen chopping, chatting and filling jars.....going to be SO MUCH FUN! Lord knows how many jars we will get through....can't wait to find out  Not sure what all we are going to do....beans, green beans, salsa, corn, apples and I forget what else have been tossed around. We'll firm up those plans after the scouting trip the one lady is going to make to the flea market that sell produce at great prices.

Today starts DH's 36 hour day:nanner: He's off to breakfast as I type (he's in China) then at his lunchtime (my midnight) he leaves for the airport for his 14 hr flight to Chicago!! That is assuming they have cleaned up the MESS from yesterday there (the airline...not DH's work). Something nasty (but not catastrophic) happened to the plane on the way over on Monday.....he had people on that plane. The plane landed 8+ hrs late then the flight back yesterday was totally cancelled for aircraft maintenance! So far the flight from Chicago to China is on time and working......so "his bird" should be ok......but there is a full plane load of people that didn't get their flight yesterday. So his plane should be packed today :grump:....not a comfy ride.....even a 1/2 full plane is miserable for 14 hrs. His shoulders hang out into the isle...the man is NOT built for a 17" wide seat.


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## jessimeredith (Sep 12, 2004)

Shew...just caught up on all the reading I've missed out on!

Memorial for Gran went as expected, everyone that was angry with everyone else ignored each other and/or shot glares in the general direction of those they don't like...rather humorous I thought.

Spent the last two weeks helping Mom go through her garage full of stuff...fabric, Tupperware, yarn, scrapbooking/stamp supplies...have to make a lone trip back up to MO in a week or so to bring home the oodles of fabric I got "paid" in for all my work. And to help bring some stuff up from the dreaded, wet, spider infested basement. The upside is that all the fabric stuffs I scored will keep me busy with sewing and has cut my Christmas list buys in half (or more). Also inherited another sewing machine and an embroidery machine. Quilts all around! 

Cool weather is making the late in the ground garden even later with producing...going to supplement with purchases from the Farmers' Market since my tomatoes just aren't tomato'ing. Plan to grab some peaches while the prices are low and get some canned up before my next trip. Hoping the local orchard isn't feeling the bite of the weather too much so I can do the same with early apples.

And now, I'm running away to my bed...I sure missed it while at Mom's and haven't spent near enough time getting reacquainted!


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

They dealt the death blow to my team..... They told us yesterday, only 2 more days. We most likely will be absorbed in to other teams......Those are meat grinder teams, with TERRIBLE hours, and I have avoided them at all costs.:grit:

I told dh......I am finishing getting out of debt and I am outta there.(I hope)

That about all I have....obviously, not sleeping well.

Have a blessed day. (CYBER HUGS)


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Have finally emerged from my kitchen after marathon canning session....75 pts. peaches, 12 pts. peach jam and 12 pts. grape jelly using up last years grape juice before it's time to can up this years bounteous looking crop of grapes. Plopped Pa at the table and said you must help so I sorted/dipped/peeled and he sliced. I'm an impatient get-er-done kinda gal and he is slooooow but no major fights! Haven't even looked at the garden but Pa reports zillions of ripe tomatoes .........sigh

I like to think on all the other people out there working hard in their gardens and kitchens. We are discussing how hard it would be to can for Ma Ingalls...seems we use so much water. Pa went out to the kids shower shack and got 5 gal. pails from their instant on camper hot water heater. Screaming hot. Didn't think I'd use their outdoor shower but it was grand to give Arthur a decent doggie bath and actually get him totally rinsed.

Today is our 48th wedding anniversary so we are spending it waiting for the guy to finally come fix our broken glass in sliding door. Yesterday spent waiting on the well guy. Looks like we'll be needing to replace pump sometime soon. Has been in 26 years which is way longer than expected life. He did fix something so water isn't constantly cutting out at no charge. Always something

TDD...time to retire to the farm and making cakes?
OD....I hired my DIL to come scrub my kitchen floor--beyond a mop. She loves to clean...I know, not normal. Even had her own business for a time cleaning for apartment complex when tenants moved out so she knows every trick.
Ann...we've had some interesting meals from my freezer purge...lucky for me Pa will eat anything I put in front of him...worse, he'll eat anything in the frig even if way past its sell by date!

I'm sure if Lindamarie got et by a bear it would have made the news even down here in the Ozarks! 

We are enjoying a lovely cool-ish spell but really in need of some rain. Having to water my bean patches to keep them going. Guess I'll pick 'maters before the glass guy comes.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Spent the morning working on the hedge again. Also, burned several piles from previous hedge trimming plus what was cut this a.m. Then I moved the grass clippings from the pile in the garden (where they were dumped yesterday) and put a heavy mulch on the asparagus and rhubarb beds. 

We have a privit hedge that needs major trimming plus two trees that each have one large branch that need to be removed. I'm thinking with a little assistance I can trim each of those branches enough that they can be sawed off at the trunk. Now to figure out who I can get to "assist". My dd's partner's son loves to help with yard/garden but is too young. No one else is very enthusatic although will help if I begged. Then I need to paint the trim on the house. I may attempt that later today if I regain my strength and energy which is not too likely!

My turkey breast from the bottom of the freezer was perfect. The price tag was $6.01 at the weight was around 6Â½ pounds. We had it for supper last night and will have it again tonight in some guise or the other. Then I need to decide if there's enough left to can. I'm thinking there will be and I definitely do not want to put it back into the freezer.


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

Happy Anniversary Mutti!! 

Ann - DH loves turkey pot pie!!


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Turkey pot pie sounds good...I just found a brisket in the deep freeze so that will go in the crockpot tomorrow while I tend to the 3- 5 gal. buckets of tomatoes I just picked. Knew I should go in the garden just to check! 

Ann...if I lived closer I'd help with your hedge problem. Love to prune. Had a autumn olive hedge in Mi that was used for a windbreak and feeding the wild birds that lined our long drive.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

It's almost the end of the month! Need to come up with an August to do list. Pretty sure it'll all be focused on not losing my mind trying to put up the whole garden over the weekends. We have just a few tomatoes ripening....


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

My August list is going to be very short -- attempt to survive.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Mutti - I do intend to "retire" and go to the farm and make cakes.......BUT.....That is a HUGE financial investment..Building, equipment, supplies..so, I need to hang on...if I can. I am not a happy camper... that is too bad for me. 

Happy Anniversary to you and Pa.

Dh took a truck load to the new farm......Our farm hands have been doing a great job of keeping this one going like clock work. We are fortunate for that.

Very little rain here.... just very light. It has been cooler. It looks like the new farm is getting a heck of a storm right now. Canton has received a lot of rain this year. 

We are supposed to find out what they are going to do with us at work today......Prayers please.

I paid as much as I could against my debt. Trying to really buckle down, But.... I did buy 10 lbs of coffee.

Take good care.... Have a wonderful day.


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## moldy (Mar 5, 2004)

TDD - prayers for you and your family. Think way outside the box. DH built me a canning kitchen inside a grain bin. We spent probably about $1000 total, but I think it has all the requirements for a commercial kitchen except hot water piping. I think there are pics of it somewhere on HT.

Hitting Walmart later today - I just can't bring myself to buy second hand underwear! Will also pick up some free wood chips in town.


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Moldy...I went on Amazon and got all my underwear needs...who knew? Just plain Fruit of the Loom but last and last. Seems you go shopping and they never had the one you like in your size or color but in two days I had new t-shirts, panties and socks just like I wanted! I hate shopping so amazon is a dream come true for me. From knitting needles to yogurt starter to garbonzo beans you can get it all delivered to your door. In our part of the Ozarks there really aren't many shopping choices and nearest big town 100 miles away.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

I watered my blueberry bushes this a.m. One is dropping leaves which is not a good sign. Watered the raspberries -- they're looking good. Actually, 2 are looking good and 3 are excellent. I NEED to pick beans but they are going to have to wait until I get back from getting my hair cut. I'm trying to stay clean at least that long!

Since I didn't want to get sweaty and dirty I decided to work on some UFO's at my sewing machine. I finished an apron and did a bit more on a sun dress started over a year ago. I think I got frustrated with the dress pattern instructions last year which quickly happened again, but this time I worked thru the problem. Once the top is finished the skirt will be easy, a couple seams and gather at the waist. Well, I assume the skirt will be easy but who knows what the instructions will tell me! :spinsmiley:

Before I go back to my sewing I need to balance ledgers for June. I know we overspent on miscellaneous again. Food is going to be close.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Time for the end of month assessment of the July To-Do List:


My July To-Do List (and some jobs that will take all summer):

1. Get the new water softener system installed and remodel/repair/rebuild pump house. *Water softener is in, but the remodel has fallen prey to lack of time, equipment failures and problems with my hands. Time to make an appointment with my doctor before she leaves me in Sept.*
2. Finish fixing any and all plumbing problems in house while water is still off, double check afterward. *Wish I'd done this. I have a leak under my kitchen sink putting a crimp in things. Again, lack of time, hand pain, and lack of energy at the end of this month have put this one onto the August list.*
3. Continue weeding, watering, mulching, planting and harvesting in the garden and around the house (this is an ongoing, all summer and probably into fall type job). *Made excellent progress on this the first half of the month, not so much the rest of it. Gotta get back on track in August.*
4. Keep working on laying pallets for flooring in the barn aisle and feed/tack stall. *This one didn't happen - on to the August To-Do List. Just hasn't seemed as important while the sun is shining. Also, found termite damage in my tack stall wall, so I have the lower front of that stall open to public view - not pretty!*
5. Harvest any rain water possible, but heading into drought season means probably will need to start using stored water instead. *Putting in the water system and finding out I really can use it for irrigation has changed the priority here for me - now will focus on totally cleaning all the 55 gallon barrels for potable water storage - on the August list, I think. In the meantime, I filled my 13'diameter, 39" deep pool, one of those ones with the blow up ring on the top - so I have a huge amount of water storage on hand right now. Next month, I'll also be moving and filling the rest of the 275 gallon water totes with potable water.*
6. Mow lawns and pastures. *Now this one I feel good about! Mowed the lawns, chicken pen, grassy areas of the garden/orchard, and part of the main pasture. Need to sharpen the mower blade and get it back in balance, and then I'll be on to the rest of the pastures and re-mow the other areas.*
7. Complete my community fair volunteer jobs - ribbons, garden dept, etc. *I survived the fair, lol! I love it, but it's always a busy, tiring week to get through. Still need to pick up the flat ribbons, get them counted and returned. and put together the ribbon order for next year. Not urgent at this point, just need to be able to order early in 2015.*
8. Build new steps and small deck off front door. *This one moves to the August list - it's really needed badly, but I need the F-150 to gather the 5' long pallets That will make it easier to build the base at the front door. I really need to replace the steps, so this one is heading toward the top of the list.*
9. Finish laying patio bricks off back door. *Brought home the sand I needed, and then used it for the pool base instead, so I still haven't worked on this one. Need to make a run to the river this evening - it's on my list for today!*
10. Switch vehicles so ds can work on my pickup. *Done. Don't think he's finished the brakes, but I think he said the speedometer was fixed, so halfway there! He's working on it in his "spare" time, so I'm being patient. *
11. Continue to work on interior of house on hot days - lots of projects there, such as painting kitchen cabinets, installing kitchen nook wainscoting, scrubbing walls, painting ceilings and guest room, much more - this is another multi-month job. *Barely kept up with basic housework much of the month, due to fair preparations and fair time itself. I figure I did well to keep the dishes and laundry done, and the house reasonably neat!*


I know my comments make it look like I'm not happy with my progress this month, but I actually feel really good about all I did get done. It was a long list of complicated tasks, and I at least made progress on many of the items. I also have taken time to smell the roses, enjoy time with family and friends, and swim almost every day. That's also part of what summer is for, and part of why I retired early!

I'll post the new Prep Thread tonight or early tomorrow morning...be thinking about your August To-Do Lists!


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

*TDD*, sorry about the job situation for you, but SO HAPPY that your new farm is yours, all yours, and no hassles over the gal moving out on time! :sing:
*Mutti*, Happy Anniversary (yesterday). I haven't been on the computer for a week, so I missed the chance to actually send my best wishes on the proper day. I really envy those of you who have had so many years together with your spouses. I'm sure it wasn't always easy, but you have something most of us in my generation don't. Only made 5 years and one reconciliation attempt with my ex. Of course, alcohol was a huge part of why it didn't work for us. He's actually a nice enough guy when he's not drinking.
*LM*, I miss your posts, too. I'm sure you haven't been eaten and I hope it only means you and Ricky are enjoying your summer, but we'd like to hear from you, missy! ((Hugs!))

It took me quite a while to catch up on a week's worth of posts and I can't reply to them all, but I'm thinking of all of you and, as always, am amazed with what all of you manage to do each day!

I'm running low on some of my meds and tried to space them out and see if I really needed them....the answer is yes! When I'm not on my ADD med, I still get out and around the place, but I don't accomplish a darn thing. Too much wandering between tasks without ever getting them done. I guess it's time to bite the bullet and sign up for ObamaCare.  My doctor is leaving in September and I'm dreading having to establish a relationship with a new MD. The list of available MDs was long on brand new hires and very short on docs I know. I am thinking about asking my dd's doc if he'll take me on - I've known him for many years and I think he'd be willing to stretch his patient load to include me. I hate to take the time to go to MD appts, so I'm not a huge bother as long as they fill my meds each month.

Can't believe it's already the end of July...it's really flown by. My garden isn't producing much of anything - the tomatoes look great, but nothing is ripe yet, the birds ate the currants (and I had a heavy crop this year), and with all the transplanting I'm doing, I don't expect anything from my raspberry patches or the few blueberries that survived the winter. Rhubarb has been good, but I have a hen brooding under the best plant, so I'm trying not to disturb her. A tunneling critter has eaten the early, volunteer taters, and the late ones won't be ready any time soon. The cucumbers I planted took forever for only 2 of them to sprout, and the plants haven't been making much progress. Good thing I have family with good gardens and orchards they're willing to share with me, or this year would be a total bust. Even my bff helped out in the garden area - she dropped by after the county fair with "abandoned" produce from the ag dept there. Tasty tomatoes, cukes and onions, as well as a head of lettuce and 2 of cabbage, green and red. Not enough to put up for winter, but enough to delay leaving the farm for fresh produce!

I have to admit, I'm really enjoying that silly swimming pool! It's not deep or big, but it sure cools me off. It's been hovering at or near 90 daily, and between opening up the house at night to cool it off, and taking a leisurely dip when I get too hot, I haven't had the AC on since I set it up. I figure I'm saving $$ every day I don't need to run that thing. Gotta be cheaper to pour a little bleach in the pool every few days. I need to call my insurance agent and ask if I can get any type of break of fire insurance for having the pool.

Speaking of that, it's 90 outside and I need to go pour water on the blueberries and fruit trees today, and plant more of the petunias as soon as that side of the house is in the shade. By then, I'll have earned that next dip in the pool, lol! I might even skinny dip.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Well, we're going to end July with our water going and fires popping up all around us! 42 in our ranger district currently. None threatening us. But still...

Hopefully the water is an easy fix with the gas pump. We're on a gravity fed open ditch community irrigation system and last summer they "fixed" our inflow pipe and filter to meet state standards. Of course we've had problems since. DH and the neighbor are working on it now. And there is someone who is supposed to be doing this stuff, but it doesn't get done.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Well, that bites, Vosey - hope you get the water figured out and that the fires stay away.

Ended up having a nice visit with my bff this afternoon. We swam and played Scrabble. I was thoroughly trounced this time!

Before she got here, I dragged the hose through the garden focusing water on the fruit trees, tomatoes, sunchokes, strawberries and blueberries. I potting up the donated artichoke in a 2 gallon pot and planted the pot in one of the raised beds. Hopefully, doing that will help me keep it alive and thriving until next year's fair. I also planted more petunias, but still have quite a few more to plant.

The new thread is up for August - see ya there!


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