#it’s a pear cobbler in a basket!

[nextgenfoals]

big mac and donut joe?

Pear Cobbler runs a dessert delivery service out of Sweet Apple Acres! She’s certainly no snob when it comes to the fruits she uses, but apples and pears are especially near and dear to her heart.

~ Mod Ace ♥️

[newkatzkafe2023]

Genderbend Villainous Disney Princesses x Yandere reader

Chaper 5 Into the unsnown

So your probably wondering what's with all the gifs in the beginning instead of the end well it's because You and Jasmir have been spending alot of time with together. Ever since Jasmir found you he's been spoiling you with

love

Affection

And treasures

Safe to say Jasmir was wrapped around your murderous little finger. He came by everyday day to either help you around the tree house like a good little rich househusband or smother you with affection. You both were hooked, yu couldn't get enough of each other but as Jasmir kisses your arm again

(Jasmir) My Sultana I regret to inform you that I have to return to Arabah for I have a kingdom to run and duties to attend too I will miss you terribly.

You stare at Jasmir before you kiss 💋 him again before finally saying

(Y/N) Go...........Home

Blood red Hearts appeared in Jasmir eyes as you spoke, he noticed that you don't say alot but he doesn't mind that means you trust him more and more as the days go by. Jasmir kiss you one last time before taking his bag and pulled on his cloak.

You walked to the left to watch Jasmir gave u a thumbs up and you then Lowered him to the bottom of the treehouse.

(Jasmir) ok my dearest Sultana, I'll be back in 3 weeks, I miss you already, I'll send you a letter everyday, don't talk to strangers, DON'T EVER TALK TO STRANGERS, ok love you bye!!!!!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️

Jasmir took off back to Arabah as he send you lots of kisses 💋 💋 💋. You stood and watched Jasmir until you couldn't see him anymore. You signed and went back inside to wash the dishes as you two had finished breakfast. It was a relatively calm day the sun was out the grass was damps and their was an occasional squirrel or chipmunk here and there. Speaking of which it's harvest time for the fruit trees. You quickly grab a basket gifted to you by Jasmir and went outside and lowered yourself to the ground.

You went the the fruit trees you planted as a child the was a orange, peach, plum, lemon, apple, pear, and lastly a mango treed. You also have a growing Cherry, Banana, Coconut and apricot trees but their not ready to grow Fruit yet so you had to go to the others. You already picked some oranges and pears but you recently you ran out of peaches you want to make a cobbler for when Jasmir comes home. Yes I said home in your Mind he now he lives here with you. You didn't break Jasmir yet because he has responsibilities as a leader and ruler otherwise you would have never let him out. As you felt you picked enough peaches you flet a shiver in your spine. You looked side to side it was now cold so very very very very Cold 🥶 🧊 ☃️ 🧥 ❄️.

You walked around wondering were the chills were coming from until your foot ram into something as you looked down something became someone. It was a short handsome male he wore a ripped sky blue tux some parts were covered in mud a had some Bruises and messy long hair the poor boys appearance as a whole was Dishevelled and beaten up he looks like he hasn't eaten or Slept in years.

You to pity on the poor possibility dead boy and threw him over your shoulder. The male himself was very cold and it felt like you were carrying a corpse. You took the basket and walked back to you home. When you got inside you put the boy on the couch and quickly put on the fireplace. You then went to the kitchen to make tea and soup while getting the first aid kit.

You took off of top and put the clothes in the wash you then began to clean his Wounds and applied Vaseline and rapped him bandages you continued to look at the man he had pale skin and white hair he was short for a male but a bit taller the you. He couldn't be know

You couldn't help but rub his chest and face despite how cold he was, he has so fragile so weak so helpless looking. He could have died if you didn't fine him. He Needed you He needed you to Cater to pamper and love him You can't let him leave if that was the Case.

You pet his hair and kissed his face

(Y/N ) Don't........worry..........I'll..........take........Care.......of...........You........I'll........Take............Care..........of......You......Forever.

You never had a baby boy before.

A few hours later as you were making dinner you heard a voice coughing and finally Is croaking hello. You grab the soup 🍲 and tea 🍵 and wentto the living room. Their the male was sitting up and looking around the room until his eyes landed on you.

(???)(Croaking) Hello

As usual you say nothing at first. You moved closer and put the food and drink on the table

(???) Ma'am where am I? who are you?

You continued to stare at him you pointed at him as to ask who are you?

(???) my name is Elson King Elson

So you new found baby boy has a name

(Elson) I remember being attacked I didn't see who but I was scared and I wasn't trying to hurt him but I needed to find it

You sat and listened to Elson as you changed his Bandages. You them grabbed the soup bowl and went to feed him.

(Elson) uh thank you.....Now as i was saying that I was listening to a voice, a pretty Gentle voice who is freezing because of me.

WoW King Elson heard you too and he came all this way to look for you. Is it your birthday 🎂 or something?

(Elson) I've been on the move for months looking for the source of that voice and to take the ice cold away from them and to grant warmth to the best of my ability. I want to warm them up in Many More ways them one.

Believe it or not you blushed a bit hearing that last part but Elson didn't Notice as he was Monologing to himself.

(Elson) I want to find her and grant her wish for her to hold a nice warm body close to her at night.

You couldn't take it anymore you want this boy know need this boy your going to keep him nice and warm on this couch and baby this man for the rest of your no so short life.

You rubbed his shoulder to get his attention

(Elson) Yes what is it?

You pointed to the Main wall of the tree house this time showing a different picture you in a winter coat with your exact blank face. Elson saw there was blood on your face and clothes as he saw you had plead a family of Hares with your bare hands. Like Jasmir, Elson was Mesmerized he then looked in the corner of the frame.

(Elson) your (Y/N)

You then look at Elson with the same look you gave Jasmir

(Y/N) (Y/N) (L/N)

Elson was so screwed their it was the voice he's been hearing in his is empty castle and his empty head.

Like Jasmir he did not know the danger he was in

Like Jasmir he did not know that he was trapped

Like Jasmir he did not know how dangerous you can really be

And Like Jasmir he couldn't find it in himself to CARE.

(Y/N) I HOPE YOU LIKE PACIFIERS BABY

yay their goes chapter 5 people of the series I might need some time to figure out how to go about chapter 6. Anyway leave comments below people, I'm dying here🙏😭

[infectedleviathan]

So this is an item Id list for coding

I found one online but it was all jumbled so I put it in list form, gonna be making different categories too

309 Acorn Seed

541 Aerinite Mineral

538 Alamite Mineral

705 Albacore Fish

456 Algae Soup Cooking

300 Amaranth Vegetable

299 Amaranth Seeds Seed

66 Amethyst Mineral

529 Amethyst Ring Ring

587 Amphibian Fossil Artifact

117 Anchor Artifact It may have belonged to ancient pirates.

129 Anchovy Fish A small silver fish found in the ocean

103 Ancient Doll Artifact An ancient doll covered in grime. This doll may habe benn used as a toy, a decoration, or a prop in some kind of ritual.

123 Ancient Drum Artifact It's a drum made from wood and animal skin. It has a low, reverberating tone.

454 Ancient Fruit Fruit

114 Ancient Seed Artifact it's a dry old seed from some ancient plant. By all appearances it's long since dead…

499 Ancient Seeds Seed

109 Ancient Sword Artifact It's the remains of an ancient sword. Most of the blade has turned to rust, but the hilt is very finely crafted.

160 Angler Fish

613 Apple Fruit

633 Apple Sapling Seed

634 Apricot Fruit

628 Apricot Sapling Seed

62 Aquamarine Mineral

531 Aquamarine Ring Ring

101 Arrowhead Artifact A crudely fashioned point used for hunting.

274 Artichoke Vegetable

605 Artichoke Dip Cooking

482 Artichoke Seeds Seed

590 Artifact Spot (not-Placeable)

235 Autumn's Bounty Cooking

685 Bait Bait

198 Baked Fish Cooking

691 Barbed Hook Fish Tackle

540 Baryte Mineral

570 Basalt Mineral

368 Basic Fertilizer Fertilizer

370 Basic Retaining Soil Fertilizer

767 Bat Wing Monster Loot

787 Battery Pack Resource

207 Bean Hotpot Cooking

473 Bean Starter Seed

346 Beer Artisan Goods

284 Beet Vegetable

494 Beet Seeds Seed

790 Berry Basket

539 Bixite Mineral

410 Blackberry Fruit

611 Blackberry Cobbler Cooking

102 Blue Book(For Museum no Drop only Animation)

597 Blue jazz Flower

413 Blue Slime Egg

258 Blueberry Fruit

481 Blueberry Seeds Seed

234 Blueberry Tart Cooking

278 Bok Choy Vegetable

491 Bok Choy Seeds Seed

287 Bomb Crafting

119 Bone Flute Artifact it's a prehistoric wind instrument carved from an animal's bone. It produces an eerie tone.

458 Bouquet

216 Bread Cooking

132 Bream Fish

171 Broken CD Trash

170 Broken Glasses Trash

618 Bruschetta Cooking

684 Bug Meat Monster Loot

700 Bullhead Fish

702 Bullhead Fish

526 Burglar's Ring Ring

90 Cactus Fruit Fruit The sweet fruit of the prickly pear cactus.

542 Calcite Mineral

142 Carp Fish

209 Carp Suprise Cooking

143 Catfish Fish

190 Cauliflower Vegetable

474 Cauliflower Seeds Seed

78 Cave Carrot Forage A starchy snack found in caves. It helps miners work longer

566 Celestine Mineral

281 Chanterelle Forage

424 Cheese Artisan Goods

197 Cheese Cauliflower Cooking

638 Cherry Fruit

286 Cherry Bomb Crafting

629 Cherry Sapling Seed

105 Chewing Stick Artifact Ancient people chewed on these to keep their teeth clean.

113 Chicken Statue Artifact It's a statue of a chicken on a bronze base. The ancient people of this are must been very fond of chickens.

100 Chipped Amphora Artifact An ancient vessel made of ceramic material. Used to transport both dry and wet goods.

220 Chocolate Cake Cooking

727 Chowder Cooking

372 Clam

330 Clay Resource

428 Cloth Artisan Goods

382 Coal Resource

411 Cobblestone Path Decor

718 Cockle Fish

88 Coconut Fruit A seed of the coconut palm. It has many culinary uses.

395 Coffee

648 Coleslaw Cooking

404 Common Mushroom Forage

201 Complete Breakfast Cooking

223 Cookie Cooking

334 Copper Bar Resource

378 Copper Ore Resource

393 Coral

695 Cork Bobber Fish Tackle

270 Corn Vegetable

484 Corn Seeds Seed

717 Crab Fish

732 Crab Cakes Cooking

710 Crab Pot

282 Cranberries Fruit

612 Cranberry Candy Cooking

238 Cranberry Sauce Cooking

493 Cranberry Seeds Seed

716 Crayfish Fish

159 Crimsonfish Fish

214 Crispy Bass Cooking

418 Crocus Flower

333 Crystal Floor Decor

414 Crystal Fruit Fruit

409 Crystal path Decor

18 Daffodil Forage

22 Dandelion Forage

461 Decorative Pot

466 Deluxe Speed-Gro Fertilizer

72 Diamond Mineral A rare and valuable gem.

107 Dinosaur Egg Artifact A gient dino egg… The entire shell is still intact!

242 Dish O' The Sea Cooking

543 Dolomite Mineral

704 Dorado Fish

687 Dressed Spinner Fish Tackle

116 Dried Starfish Artifact A starfish frome the primordial ocean. It's an unusually pristine specimen!

169 Driftwood Trash

463 Drum Block

442 Duck Egg Animal Product

444 Duck Feather Animal Product

307 Duck Mayoonaise Artisan Goods

122 Dwarf Gadget Artifact It's a piece of the advanced technology once known to the dwarves. It's sill glowing and humming, but you're unable to understand how it works

96 Dwarf Scroll I Artifact A yellowed scroll of parchment filled with dwarven script this one's tied with a red bow.

97 Dwarf Scroll II Artifact A yellowed scroll of parchment filled with dwarven script this one's tied with a green ribbon.

98 Dwarf Scroll II Artifact A yellowed scroll of parchment filled with dwarven script this one's tied with a blue rope.

99 Dwarf Scroll IV Artifact A yellowed scroll of parchment filled with dwarven script this one's tied with a golden chain.

121 Dwarvish Helm Artifact It's one of the helmets commonly worn by dwarves. The thick metal plating protects them from falling debris and stalactites.

326 Dwarvish Translation Guide Crafting

86 Earth Crystal Mineral A resinous substance found near the surface.

148 Eel Fish

176 Egg Animal Product A regular white chicken egg.

180 Egg Animal Product A regular brown chicken egg.

272 Eggplant Vegetable

231 Eggplant Parmesan Cooking

483 Eggplant Seeds Seed

104 Elvish Jewelry Artifact Dirty but still beautiful. On the side is a flowing script thought by some to be the ancient language of the elves. No Elvish bones habe ever been found.

60 Emerald Mineral

533 Emerald Ring Ring

349 Energy Tonic

729 Escargot Cooking

544 Esperite Mineral

441 Explosive Ammo

595 Fairy Rose Flower

425 Fairy Seeds Seed

577 Fairy Stone Mineral

497 Fall Seeds Seed

240 Farmer's Lunch Cooking

771 Fiber Resource

259 Fiddlehead Fern Vegetable

649 Fiddlehead Risotto Cooking

403 Field Snack

565 Fire Opal Mineral

82 Fire Quartz Mineral A glowing red crystal commonly found near hot lava.

728 Fish Stew Cooking

213 Fish Taco Cooking

545 Fluorapatite Mineral

464 Flute Block

202 Fried Calamari Cooking

225 Fried Eel Cooking

194 Fried Egg Cooking

205 Fried Mushroom Cooking

536 Frozen Geode

84 Frozen Tear Mineral A crystal fabled to be the frozen tears of a yeti.

610 Fruit Salad Cooking

248 Garlic Vegetable

476 Garlic Seeds Seed

325 Gate Crafting

546 Geminite Mineral

535 Geode

561 Ghost Crystal Mineral

156 Ghostfish Fish

775 Glacierfish Fish

118 Glass Shards Artifact A mixture of glass shards smoothed by centuries of ocean surf. These could have belonged to an ancient mosaic or necklace.

208 Glazed Yams Cooking

517 Glow Ring Ring

426 Goat Cheese Artisan Goods

436 Goat Milk Animal Product

336 Gold Bar Resource

384 Gold Ore Resource

124 Golden Mask Artifact A creepy golden mask probably used in an ancient magic ritual. A socket in the forehead contains a large purple gemstone.

373 Golden Pumpkin

125 Golden Relic Artifact It's a golden slab with heiroglyphs and pictures emblazoned onto the front.

569 Granite Mineral

398 Grape Fruit

301 Grape Starter Seed

297 Grass Starter Seed

407 Gravel Path Decor

153 Green Algae Fish

188 Green Bean Vegetable

680 Green Slime Egg

708 Halibut Fish

709 Hardwood Resource

298 Hardwood Fence Crafting

210 Hashbrowns Cooking

178 Hay

408 Hazelnut Forage

547 Helvite Mineral

573 Hematite Mineral

147 Herring Fish

283 Holly Forage

340 Honey Artisan Goods

304 Hops Vegetable

302 Hops Starter Seed

260 Hot Pepper Fruit

233 Ice Cream Cooking

161 Ice Pip Fish

527 Irdium Band Ring

337 Irdium Bar Resource

386 Irdium Ore Resource

645 Irdium Sprinkler Crafting

335 Iron Bar Resource

324 Iron Fence Crafting

380 Iron Ore Resource

746 Jack-O-Lantern Crafting

70 Jade Mineral

532 Jade Ring Ring

549 Jagoite Mineral

548 Jamborite Mineral

563 Jasper Mineral

429 Jazz Seeds Seed

344 Jelly Artisan Goods

167 Joja Cola Trash

350 Juice Artisan Goods

528 Jukebox Ring Ring

250 Kale Vegetable

477 Kale Seeds Seed

550 Kyanite Mineral

174 Large Egg Animal Product It's an uncommonly large white egg!

182 Large Egg Animal Product It's an uncommonly large brown egg!

438 Large Goat Milk Animal Product

186 Large Milk Animal Product A large jug of cow's milk.

137 Largemouth Bass Fish

162 Lava Eel Fish

692 Lead Bobber Fish Tackle

20 Leek Forage

163 Legend Fish

554 Lemon Stone Mineral

773 Life Elixier Cooking

571 Limestone Mineral

707 Lingcod Fish

715 Lobster Fish

730 Lobster Bisque Cooking

788 Lost Axe

204 Lucky Lunch Cooking

789 Lucky Purple Shorts

551 Lunarite Mineral

537 Magma Geode

703 Magnet Fish Tackle

519 Magnet Ring Ring

228 Maki Roll Cooking

552 Malachite Mineral

731 Maple bar Cooking

310 Maple Seed Seed

724 Maple Syrup Artisan Goods

567 Marble Mineral

306 Mayonnaise Artisan Goods

288 Mega Bomb Crafting

254 Melon Fruit

479 Melon Seeds Seed

460 Mermaid's Pendant

184 Milk Animal Product A jug of cow's milk.

243 Miner's Treat Cooking

770 Mixed Seeds Seed

257 Morel Forage

574 Mudstone Mineral

351 Muscle Remedy

719 Mussel Fish

682 Mutant Carp Fish

392 Nautilus Shell

586 Nautilus Shell Artifact

555 Nekoite Mineral

553 Neptunite Mineral

725 Oak Resin Artisan Goods

575 Obsidian Mineral

560 Ocean Stone Mineral

149 Octopus Fish

247 Oil

772 Oil of Garlic Cooking

195 Omelet Cooking

749 Omni Geode

564 Opal Mineral

635 Orange Fruit

630 Orange Sapling Seed

106 Ornamental Fan Artifact This exquisute fan most likely belonged to a noblewoman. Historians velieve that the valley was a popular sixth-era vacation spot for the wealthy.

556 Orpiment Mineral

723 Oyster Fish

303 Pale Ale Artisan Goods

457 Pale Broth Cooking

588 Palm Fossil Artifact

211 Pancakes Cooking

24 Parsnip Vegetable

472 Parsnip Seeds Seed

199 Parsnip Soup Cooking

636 Peach Fruit

631 Peach Sapling Seed

215 Pepper Poppers Cooking

489 Pepper Seeds Seed

141 Perch Fish

722 Periwinkle Fish

557 Petrified Slime Mineral

342 Pickles Artisan Goods

144 Pike Fish

311 Pine Cone Seed

726 Pine Tar Artisan Goods

221 Pink Cake Cooking

206 Pizza Cooking

604 Plum Pudding Cooking

637 Pomegranate Fruit

632 Pomegranate Sapling Seed

376 Poppy Flower

453 Poppy Seeds Seed

651 Poppyseed Muffin Cooking

192 Potato Vegetable

475 Potato Seeds Seed

584 Prehiistoric Vertebra Artifact

120 Prehistoric Handaxe Artifact One of the earliest tools employed by humans. This crude tool was created by striking one rock with another to form a sharp edge.

583 Prehistoric Rib Artifact

579 Prehistoric Scapula Artifact

581 Prehistoric Skull Artifact

580 Prehistoric Tibia Artifact

115 Prehistoric Tool Artifact Some kind of gnarly old digging tool.

74 Prismatic Shard Mineral A very rare and powerful substance with unknown origins.

128 Pufferfish Fish Inflates when threatened.

276 Pumpkin Vegetable

608 Pumpkin Pie Cooking

490 Pumpkin Seeds Seed

236 Pumpkin Soup Cooking

422 Purple Mushroom Forage

439 Purple Slime Egg

559 Pyrite Mineral

369 Quality Fertilizer Fertilizer

371 Quality Retaining Soil Fertilizer

621 Quality Sprinkler Crafting

80 Quartz Mineral A clear crystal commonly found in caves and mines

446 Rabbit's Foot Animal Product

264 Radish Vegetable

609 Radish Salad Cooking

487 Radish Seeds Seed

681 Rain Totem

394 Rainbow Shell

138 Rainbow Trout Fish

108 Rare Disc Artifact A heavy black disc studded with peculiar red stones. When you hold it, you're overwhelmed wih a felling of dread.

347 Rare Seed Seed

266 Red Cabbage Vegetable

486 Red Cabbage Seeds Seed

146 Red Mullet Fish

420 Red Mushroom Forage

230 Red Plate Cooking

437 Red Slime Egg

150 Red Snapper Fish

338 Refined Quartz Resource

252 Rhubarb Fruit

222 Rhubarb Pie Cooking

478 Rhubarb Seeds Seed

423 Rice

232 Rice Pudding Cooking

524 Ring of Yoba Ring

607 Roasted Hazelnuts Cooking

244 Roots Platter Cooking

64 Ruby Mineral

534 Ruby Ring Ring

112 Rusty Cog Artifact A well preserved cog that must have been part of some ancient machine. This could be dwarven technology.

110 Rusty Spoon Artifact A plain old spoon, probably then years old. Not very interesting.

111 Rusty Spur Artifact An old spur that was once attached to a cowboy's boot. People must have benn raising animals in this area for many generations.

196 Salad Cooking

139 Salmon Fish

212 Salmon Dinner Cooking

296 Salmonberry Fruit

164 Sandfish Fish

568 Sandstone Mineral

92 Sap Forage A fluid obtained from trees.

131 Sardine Fish A common ocean fish.

227 Sashimi Cooking

523 Savage Ring Ring

165 Scorpion Carp Fish

154 Sea Cucumber Fish

397 Sea Urchin

152 Seaweed Fish

706 Shad Fish

720 Shrimp Fish

582 Skeletal Hand Artifact

585 Skeletal Tail Artifact

576 Slate Mineral

766 Slime Monster Loot

520 Slime Charmer Ring Ring

516 Small Glow Ring Ring

518 Small Magnet Ring Ring

136 Smallmouth Bass Fish

721 Snail Fish

416 Snow Yam Forage

572 Soapstone Mineral

172 Soggy Newspaper Trash

768 Solar Essence Monster Loot

224 Spaghetti Cooking

465 Speed-Gro Fertilizer

396 Spice Berry Fruit

226 Spicy Eel Cooking

686 Spinner Fish Tackle

94 Spirit Torch It's unclear where the blue color comes from…

455 Spongle Seeds Seed

399 Spring Onion Forage

495 Spring Seeds Seed

599 Sprinkler Crafting

151 Squid Fish

578 Star Shards Mineral

434 Stardrop Energy Up

268 Starfruit Fruit

485 Starfruit Seeds Seed

415 Stepping Stone Path Decor

606 Stir Fry Cooking

390 Stone Resource

323 Stone Fence Crafting

329 Stone Floor Decor

158 Stonefish Fish

203 Strange Bun Cooking

126 Strange Doll Artifact ???

127 Strange Doll Artifact ???

401 Straw Floor Decor

400 Strawberry Fruit

745 Strawberry Seeds Seed

239 Stuffing Cooking

525 Sturdy Ring Ring

698 Sturgeon Fish

245 Sugar

496 Summer Seeds Seed

593 Summer Spangle Flower

145 Sunfish Fish

421 Sunflower Flower

431 Sunflower Seeds Seed

155 Super Cucumber Fish

237 Super Meal Cooking

241 Survival Burger Cooking

417 Sweet Gem berry

402 Sweet Pea Flower

341 Tea Set Decor

558 Thunder Egg Mineral

699 Tiger Trout Fish

562 Tigerseye Mineral

701 Tilapia Fish

256 Tomato Vegetable

480 Tomato Seeds Seed

218 Tomm Kha Soup Cooking

68 Topaz Mineral

530 Topaz Ring Ring

93 Torch Provides a modes amount of light.

229 Tortilla Cooking

694 Trap Bobber Fish Tackle

168 Trash Trash

166 Treasure Chest

693 Treasure Hunter Fish Tackle

589 Trilobite Artifact

219 Trout Soup Cooking

430 Truffle

432 Truffle Oil Artisan Goods

591 Tulip Flower

427 Tulip Bulb Seed

130 Tuna Fish A large fish that lives in the ocean.

522 Vampire Ring Ring

200 Vegetable Medley Cooking

419 Vinegar

305 Void Egg Animal Product

769 Void Essence Monster Loot

140 Walleye Fish

690 Warp Totem: Beach

688 Warp Totem: Farm

689 Warp Totem: Mountains

521 Warrior Ring Ring

331 Wearthered Floor Decor

750 Weeds

262 Wheat Vegetable

246 Wheat Flour

488 Wheat Seeds Seed

157 White Algae Fish

774 Wild Bait Bait

16 Wild Horseradish Forage

406 Wild Plum Forage

348 Wine Artisan Goods

412 Winter Root Forage

498 Winter Seeds Seed

388 Wood Resource

322 Wood Fence Crafting

328 Wood Floor Decor

405 Wood Path Decor

734 Woodskip Fish

440 Wool Animal Product

280 Yam Vegetable

492 Yam Seeds Seed

[nightwitchwriter]

Christmas Chapter

To those that have been reading my story, I apologized for being so late with my recent works. I managed to finish the other two on Christmas and this one before New Years. So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Nick’s POV

I walked into the kitchen to be greeted by a giant basket filled with pears and a box filled with pear based foods, like pie, cobbler, juice, even jelly beans, which Molly was stuffing herself with.

“Where did the pears come from?”

“Faye bought them!” Molly, mouth stuffed of jelly beans

“She did?”

“Both her and her father.” mom, who came from the next room. “Molly, leave some for the rest of us.”

I stared at the packages, uncertain about its products.

“Why pears?”

“Why don’t you ask?” mom asked playfully before walking into the kitchen.

The next day, I went to the Black Cat Cafe, carrying a bag. When I walked in, it was semi-busy, with many of the tables full.

“Hello Nick.” Mrs. McCalmont, from behind the counter.

“Hi, Mrs. McCalmont. Is Wil home?”

“No, she’s helping me with a delivery. Is something wrong?”

“Uh, no, um, here.” I handed her a bag of apples. “Mom says thanks for the pears.”

“Oh your welcome. Thank you.”

As she took the apples, I struggled to ask my question, even though it may sound rude.

“Uh, what are the pears for?”

“For the 12 Days of Christmas!” Faye jumped from behind the counter, surprising me.

“12 days of Christmas? As in the song?” I questioned “So, in the place of Christmas?”

“Oh no we celebrate Christmas. Think of it as a Christmas tradition. It gets everyone in the Christmas spirit.”

“Does everyone on Arcanos do it?” Looking around, making sure no one heard me.

“You can talk about Arcanos. There’s no rule about it not talking about it. Watch. ARCANOS!”

Everyone in the cafe turned to look at us.

“Faye, stop that.” scolded Mrs. McCalmont. “If it makes you feel better, we can go into the kitchen?”

I nodded and followed them into the cafe kitchen, where I saw stuff moving by itself. The food was cooking and wrapping themselves. I saw tiny fairies flying around the kitchen as well as multiple ovens and stoves, six at least. I could smell bread baking, chocolate melting and meat roasting.

“Wow.” I looked at the whole room in amazement. One of the fairies came up to him and landed on his shoulder. She looked at him curiously.

“I hope the fairies aren’t a health code violation.” I joked

“Those aren’t fairies. They’re pixies.” explained Faye “Fairies are much bigger.”

“I see.” I looked back at the kitchen. “It’s like Merlin’s spell from the Sword in the Stone.”

“It's something similar.” Mrs. McCalmont answered, putting the apples in the center table. “It makes work a bit easier.”

“So how does the 12 days of Christmas work?” 

“Well, like the song, it lasts for 12 days, from the 12th to the 24th. For each day of Christmas, we gift that theme of the day. Like, a partridge in a pear tree.” she explained

“So, like you give out pear based presents?”

“Exactly. When I married my husband, we carried the tradition to his family, then decided to use it for the cafe as well.”

“Wow. So, if yesterday was pears, then today would be-”

“Doves!” exclaimed Faye

“Doves? Like turtle doves?”

“Uh-huh. Last year, my aunt gave me actual turtle doves.” she bragged

“Really?”

“No, she didn’t. Don’t tease him like that, or you won’t get any presents from Santa.” Mrs. McCalmont scolded

 I chuckled to myself. Felicity is the same age as Faye, but doesn’t believe in Santa anymore. “You still believe in Santa?”

“Of course I do. Why should I not?”

“Because your getting older.”

“These pixies are real.” she pointed out. “So why shouldn’t Santa?”

She had me there. I glared at the pixie on my shoulder giggling at me.

“So for the second day, what should I give?”

“Why? You want to give my sister a gift?” Faye grinned  “On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…” 

“What? No! I just saw Wil give something to Maddy today and yesterday. So, I was wondering, since its Christmas season.” For some reason, my cheeks were getting warm. Am I blushing? Why am I blushing?! Why does

“So what should I give her? And Maddy?”

“Well, the most common gifts would be turtle candies, dove chocolates, dove products or ornaments.” answered Mrs. McCalmont.

“That’s it?”

“Well, unless you have enough money to get her actual turtle doves…” she smirked “Oh, speaking of which…”

She went to the fridge and took out a paper bag. She gave it to me and I looked inside to see individually wrapped chocolate turtles inside.

“No one in your family is allergic to pecans right?” she gently asked

Christmas may be the time of generosity, but this is surprisingly generous.

Will’s POV

For the past couple of days, I’ve been getting presents. Not that it’s a bad thing. It’s Christmas season of course, but…

“Maybe you have your own Santa Claus?” questioned Maddy

We were walking through the downtown area of the town, in Arcanos. Like in Harry Potter, many of the lights and lighted ornaments were floating in mid-air.

I’ve been getting 12 days of christmas presents, but they aren’t from anyone I know. Why? Because I’ve been finding them, somehow in my locker. The same happened with Maddy, but the gifts were different. 

On the 3rd day, she got 3 hen and chicks succulent plants, while I got French perfume. 4th day. She had a birdhouse, feeder, braille book and birdseed ornaments delivered to her house. I got cell phone accessories, including a diy phone case. 5th day. Five donuts were at Maddy’s desk. I got 5 rings, two hoops and a ring. 6th day. She got a recipe for eggnog, while I got chocolate creme eggs. By the 6th day, enough was enough.

“Like a Secret Santa? No way. Who would want to be secret Santas with me?” I questioned her

“Speaking of which, does Santa really exist in Arcanos?” she asked

“In a manner of speaking, yes. He’s more of a spirit now, than an actual person.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“And you know those snow globes from the movie Rise of the Guardians? There’s actual snow globes like them?”

“Really? That’s so cool!” Maddy thought for a minute. “So you really don’t know who’s been giving you those gifts?”

“I have an idea.”

“Nick?”

And this is why she is my best friend. 

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“Remember that bet we made on my birthday? He’s trying to romance me, like he does for Heather. I saw him giving her an “early” Christmas present. A plush reindeer.”

“So you aren’t upset that he’s courting you, even though he's dating Heather?”

“Not really. It’s not so bad.” I winked at her. “Plus, we're getting free stuff out of it right?”

“Hm. Good point. But are you going to get him something?”

“Oh, don’t worry. I got some ideas.” I grinned evilly

“Ooh, can I help? He gave me stuff too.” Maddy volunteered. I grinned.

“Hmmm, fair enough, alright. Come on, let’s come up with some ideas.”

On the 7th day, which was for swans, I left something in Nick’s locker, before quickly heading in the direction of mine. I turned the corner and waited until Nick came. Maddy stood next to me. After a few minutes, Nick came in with his group of friends.

“Is he here yet?”

“Yeah. Shh!”

We, well I, watched as Nick opened his locker, and a giant, white inflatable pool swan blew up in his locker. I used big magic to make it bigger. It bursted the door opened, surprising them and everyone else in the hallway. It kept growing and nearly filled the whole hallway. And here’s the best part. It fell right on top of Nick. I could barely contain myself.

“What happened?”

“It fell on top of him.”

Maddy started to chuckle too.

“Come on, let’s go.”

We hurried away to our lockers, then classes before anyone noticed.

Nick’s POV

I. Am going. To kill. Her. I don’t care what type of magic she used, I know she put that stupid swan in my locker. I even got in trouble with it. Twice! It made me late for class, since it took 15 minutes to deflate it.

What the hell?

I was trying to be nice and give her presents, and Maddy too, not because of that stupid bet, because its Christmas! Aren’t you supposed to give presents to each other on Christmas?

Fine. If she wants to be naughty, I’ll show her naughty. Ugh. That did not sound right.

Later that day, I watched Wil as she got closer to her locker.

“Uh, Nick?” I turned around to see Dylan. “What are you doing?”

“Shhh!”

I motioned him over, and we watched as Wil opened her locker and then- boof!

A small explosion of black power and black feathers covered Wil and some parts of Maddy!

“Wh-what the?”

“What happened?” asked Maddy

Me and Dylan quickly went behind the wall before we were spotted. We could barely contain our laughter.

“Holy Shit!” laughed Dylan

“How’s that for a black swan?”

“Are you out of your mind? You just pranked the Wicked Witch of Willow High.”

“I know. Just a little payback.” I turned to look at him. “Want to help me out with the next one?”

“Oh heck yes.”

The next few days continued as followed: on the 8th day, Wil got pelted with milk balloons, while Nick smelled like camebre cheese, after finding them in his pockets every five minutes. The 9th day, Nick’s locker was filled with ballet items, while Wil was scared by red dancing shoes. The 10th day, both found frogs and toads in their personal items. Wil in her book bag, Nick in his pants while in the bathroom. On the 11th day, Wil was scared by a sudden piercing from a recorder while in the bathroom, and the same goes for Nick while answering his phone. On the 12th day, Wil was woken by the sound of drums from metal rock, while Nick was kept up all night because of it. 

Wil’s POV

“That’s it! No more pranks!” scolded Mom. I was keeping the pranks on Nick a secret from her, but she managed to find out. “It’s Christmas Eve! Now make up and give him a present as an apology and a sign of actual good will.”

“But mom,...” I didn’t want to, but… I really don’t want to.

“Do it or no Christmas.” threatened my dad

I groaned. Missing Christmas is one of the worst things that can happen to anyone. I know there are thousands of people who have no choice but to miss Christmas, but its not fair for me either.

“At least call a truce for Christmas.”

I sighed. “All right. No more pranks.”

“And give him a present he’ll like, nothing cheap!”

The night before Christmas, and all through the night. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. And it was freaking cold! I got Nick’s stupid present, but I couldn’t give it to him at school. I wanted to drop it off at his house and that’ll be it, but my parents would not accept it. Dad even threatened to call them on Christmas, just to make sure I gave him the present. So, I’m here on my broom, at his house, at night, in the freezing cold! I clutched the present closer to my chest, debating whether this a good or bad idea. Groaning, I lowered myself towards his room window.

Also, if you all are wondering how I knew where Nick’s home or even his room is, thank Dalia, due to her mischief.

I knocked on the window with the curtains closed.

“Nick!” I quietly yelled, to prevent anyone seeing me.

I didn’t hear any movement, but the lights were on.

“Nick!”

Nothing. I reached into my pocket, and took out a hag stone. A hag stone is a stone that has a natural hole inside them. Depending on how or where the stones were formed, by looking through the holes, you could see various things. The one I have is similar to the one in Coraline. So think of the had stone as x-ray vision goggles.

I looked through it and could see past the house walls. I saw Nick in his bed, sleeping.

I knocked on the window again.

“Nick!”

Seeing that he wasn’t waking up, I tapped the window lock twice. 

“Tick tock. Break the lock.”

The window unlocked and opened itself, and I climbed in.

His room is surprisingly clean, for a high school boy. I saw him in his bed and walked over to wake him. His snoring is as loud as a high school boy. I shook him as hard as I could.

“Nick! Nick! Niiiccckkkk!”

After some groans, Nick managed to slowly open his eyes. His eyes widened quickly when he saw that I was in his room.

“Holy freaking crap!” he yelled as he scrambled away from me. I just smiled.

“Merry Christmas!” I smirked

“What are you doing in my house?! How’d you get into my house?!”

“Magic. Duh.”

“How’d you even know where I live?”

“Dalia. Duh. Anymore questions?”

He was silent for a moment, before asking, “What are you doing here?”

“Come outside.”

“It is freezing outside. And it’s Christmas Eve. If this is another prank, can it wait until morning?”

“It’s not a prank. My mom wants us to call a truce for Christmas, so truce?” I ask while holding out my hand.

Nick looked at my hand, suspicious and hesitating for a bit, before taking my hand.

“Fine, truce.”

“Good. Now come outside. I have a present for you.”

A few minutes later, we were both outside in the cold. After explaining that I got him a gift, it turns out he got me one too. Then we both stood there awkwardly for the next few minutes.

“So, want to open them now?” Nick asked

“Ehhh, it kind of goes against my tradition of opening presents before Christmas. You?”

“Not my tradition.”

He quickly went to open his present.

“Woah, a toy motorcycle. Cool.”

“Press the button.”

He looked confused.

I took the toy, pushed the button, then put it on the street and stepped back. Moments later, it quickly grew in size to a rideable size. The look on Nick’s face shows that I gave him the right gift. 

“I heard from Felicity that you got your motorcycle license, so I got you this.”

Remember the boat from Ponyo? There’s a toy company in Arcanos that makes toys inspired by the film. Cost a lot, but not as much as a regular motorcycle.

“What do you think?”

The next thing I knew, he was hugging me. An actual, no hesitation hug. 

“Thanks.” he whispered

Turns out, he was saving money for a motorcycle, but wasn’t close yet. With this, he doesn’t have to save anymore. But for some reason, he now didn’t want to give me my present. He tried to take it back, but after some tugging, I won. I decided to leave before he tries to take it again, but before I did, I showed him how to make it small again. Before I flew away, I watched Nick go back inside and shut the window I opened. 

The next day, on Christmas, I opened Nick’s present first. It was a ugly Christmas sweater, with a witch in a Santa dress and hat, on a broom, with a bag of presents behind her, flying through the night sky. A ugly Christmas sweater that's witch themed. After opening the rest of my presents, it was the only thing I didn’t have anything to say about. But, I wore it on the first day back at school. 

[beaflower77]

An Olaphant Lumbers

“Go quickly,” he mentioned. “Make your rounds. Hurry back, and I will have something hot waiting for you.” Master Huven packed a full basket of delicious loot for her to distribute to the elves and shoved her on her way. “And make sure you go to Lord Glorfindel first,” he said. “Lord Elrond last. And don’t forget Erestor. He will not be pleased if you forget him.” Just as Beatrice made her way out the door, “And don’t dawdle,” Maimen mentioned. “I know how you take your time. Be quick.” 

Beatrice quickly smiled, nodded, giving a wave of her hand, and made her way out the door. As the door clicked shut, she let slip a giant sigh, rolled her eyes. Who says I dawdle?, she thought. 

“I saw that,” Raimen, the assistant cook said, bending over, putting a pointed finger before her nose, before opening the door himself to go in. And he gave Beatrice a smirk, whispering. “But I won’t tell.” “Sure you won’t,” replied Beatrice, with her own smug grin. She made her way round the city. 

The morning skies were grayish, with multiple thick clouds looming over her head. She would definitely have to be quick about her walk. And errands. Her first stop was to Glorfindel, but Beatrice just had to go beforehand to the forge. Hammering away, the elves moved gracefully, one after the other. Clang clang. Clang clang. The cast iron anvils bashed down on their newest project. In the forge the smiths were building the fire. Beatrice was told once, “It is the quality of the fire that is most important Beatrice, not the looks or price of the furnace.” She had to cover her nose and mouth if she wanted to visit, so to avoid smoke and ash in her eyes, pouring out into the walkway. 

“Blueberry juice today,” she said brightly, while producing two medium jugs of the dark liquid. And the basket suddenly became much lighter. The elves stopped, putting aside hammers and tongs, wiping dirty, sullied hands and fingers on aprons. Smiling, they gave a jerk with their chins, pouring the beverage they were grateful to receive. 

Next, Beatrice thought. The ‘Radiant One’. She had hoped Glorfindel would appreciate what she had made this morning for him and Ecthelion. 

She had been practicing so very painfully the past few weeks walking stealthily. Trying her best not being heard with her clandestine approachings was a constant disaster for her. Sneaking down tiled floors, trying not to make a sound, the elven soldiers would laugh when they believed they caught her clumping round like an olaphant. “You are too loud Beatrice! We always know when you are near”, Or, “Ah, here she comes now, the tiny olaphant!” Better yet, “A sleeping dragon would never be allowed rest with all your clatter and racket!” So it was a grave wonder when she actually wasn’t heard this morning. She gracefully tip toed up, while still holding tight to the large, overly filled basket on the narrow path. 

He whipped the sword back, forth, lunging down, parrying right, left. His movements graceful, focused, so astute, slicing, renting the air in two, that when Glorfindel turned, cutting with his blade at the very height of her head, his movements, his body, and heart abruptly stopped upon seeing her standing there in terror before him. Six inches before the point of his deadly sharp blade. And a moment of surprised, thunderstruck silence fell over both. 

“What in the name of Namo were you thinking Beatrice?!,” Glorfindel bellowed, coming out from his astounded stupor. When she didn’t speak, or couldnt’ but continued to stare wide eyed ahead, unable to breath, “What were you doing?! I could have chopped your head off! Have you no sense?!,” Glorfindel let loose."Answer me!” 

He glared. She still had yet to speak. “Beatrice!,” Glorfindel more forcefully demanded. “Answer me.” Meekly, regaining her voice, “I was just trying to be quiet,” Beatrice whispered. “Not an olaphant. Like they always call me.” Still he glared her down. An olaphant, Glorfindel thought. I will give you such an olaphant! He humphed instead.

When Vesstan came forward, placing a calming palm on Glorfindel’s chest, “Stop your arguing Glorfindel,” he said. “Let us see what is in Beatrice’s basket this morning.” And he motioned for her to come closer so he could peer inside, all the while keeping himself betwixt the two. Cautiously she stepped up. “A breakfast sandwich! Look Glorfindel, two breakfast sandwiches. One for each of us. Isn’t Beatrice clever? I am sure she spent all morning concocting these for us. We should thank her, instead of yelling at her.” Although Vesstan did see the olaphantish episode, he made no mention of it. Instead, taking the two proffered, delicate egg sandwiches, and leading Glorfindel away, while nodding for Beatrice to scram before anymore sudden mistakes were made. She left gratefully.

Next on her list was Erestor. How could anything go wrong there, she wondered? 

The mixture of lavender and vanilla scent rose from the depths of her basket. This was a special moment. And delicacy for Erestor. Shifting the basket onto her other arm, Beatrice knocked twice, before attempting to open the door any further. “Come,” a neutral, but commanding voice beckoned. Beatrice entered slowly, wondering if any other booby traps would clamp down on her. Nothing. Yet. She noticed Lindir in attendance in morning. She had nothing for him this time. 

“Panais Aux Poires!,” she announced with a flourish. “French parsnips with pears, with herb dressing on the side. Still hot! And fresh lavender milk. Just as you requested.” And Beatrice grandly smiled, hoping Erestor would race over producing just as grandly a hug for her person. Nope.

“Thank you,” he gave her. No smile. “Set it there,” he nodded with his head. And back to his maps and books Erestor returned. 

Deflation. She tried not to look annoyed. 

Lindir smiled down into himself, took a sip of coffee, while smiling at her with his eyes. He understood. 

Erestor noticed. “Lindir.” Another moment passed. “Lindir,” a little more pointed, Erestor vocalized. 

Coming out of his reverie, “Oh,” breathed Lindir deeply, with a small apologetic nod, appalled he had been caught. 

“Your mind needs to focus on these books please,” as Erestor dipped into his feast of parsnips and pears. Lindir walked toward the window to stand in the light, and warmth of the sun. His view then of the blasted books would be more focused.

Her last stop, Elrond. Setting down the basket on a side chair, Beatrice rummaged and pulled out his favorite. Apple cobbler, In another French cooking style. “Sorry, no ice cream,” she shrugged. 

Looking upon the gifted meal, “What is ice cream Beatrice?,” he pleasantly asked. 

She dismissed his question, flipping her hand instead. “Something too cold, too wet, way too sugary,” she replied. 

Producing a fork from within his desk drawer, Elrond took a small, simple bite. “Hmmm. Well done,” said he. But as Beatrice was heading toward the doors, “Beatrice,” Elrond softly mentioned. “Please make a little more noise when walking round Glorfindel. I wouldn’t want anything happening to you. I am sure Lindir shares my feelings as well.” As Beatrice looked back at Elrond in bafflement, he continued, “It is always better to be a slightly, quiet olaphant. Then, no olaphant at all.”  

He allowed this thought to drift into the wonderings of her brain, before taking another bite. She knew. She understood. This was his city, sooner or later all things get round to Elrond’s knowing and hearing. 

Beatrice straightened up and replied, “Being around Glorfindel sometimes makes me feel like such a goof up. I don’t wish to be an lumbering olaphant as well. But I will definitely make more noise before sneaking up next time.”

“Thank you,” he produced. Then, “Hmmm,” as Elrond pondered her metaphor. “Tomorrow morning, you will have to explain this goof up business. Best go get your own breakfast now,” he said, before dismissing her. And as he sat back, crossing his arms, Elrond contemplated. “What is a goof up?”

[benjamingarden]

This Month On The Farm: July 2020

July's weather was full-on summer complete with heat, humidity, and lots o' sunshine.  And surprisingly, a lack of mosquitoes.  Hooray for that!  We did receive some rain and when we did, oh boy was it a lot.

Tents - Not Just For Camping

As you can see in the photo above, we decided to make use of a couple of our extra craft show tents and set them up on the upper and lower decks.  On the upper deck it's wide open, used just for rain cover and shade (Ollie is afraid of the netting walls so we left them off).  On the lower deck we used the netting walls and put our outdoor table and chairs inside so we can enjoy eating or sitting outside without bugs attacking.  Ollie, as noted, is afraid of the walls but if he's sitting in his tower with me by his side, he deals with it ok.

gutters and rain barrel installed!

Barrels Of Rain

Woo hoo!  Jay was able to get the gutters installed on the outbuildings and the rain barrels are up and working.  This has been on our "someday" list for years.  Years!  We've been able to successfully use the barrels to water the garden through most of the month, only needing to resort to our well water a couple of times.

Harvesting

As I've mentioned (probably too many times), our garden is mostly shaded.  We receive morning sun over about 70% of it and afternoon sun for a few hours over it all, and it's fully shaded the remainder of the day.  And so, our harvesting starts late.  Then, of course, we had the infamous whistle pig debacle that set us back a bit but we are now enjoying the fruits of our labor.

Green beans are coming in by the bushel.  I know that many people don't enjoy frozen green beans but we do, so I grow enough to enjoy fresh weekly as well as enough to put up in the freezer for winter and springtime eating.  I planted 3 types this year: Blue Lake, Red Noodle, and Calima Bush Beans.  The Red Noodle are still small and green but this is the first year we've planted them so, fingers crossed, they are delicious.

We finally have tomatoes!!!  Well, we finally have ripe tomatoes!  We have a ton, I mean TON, of green tomatoes amidst the 25 plants so we will definitely have plenty for fresh eating as well as for oven-drying to freeze for sauce during the winter.

We are also harvesting onions, cabbage, kale, swiss chard, mixed greens, arugula, microgreens, peppers (jalapeno, ancho, and bell), summer squash, zucchini, the last of the peas, beets, blueberries, blackberries, herbs and radish.

our sweet potato hill

Sadly, our pear and asian pear trees did not do well this year.  I've ordered new "partners" for them (and the paw paw tree) so our hope is we will be swimming in their fruits in a couple of years!  And our whistle pig took out all of our summer broccoli and cauliflower so we won't be harvesting either of those until fall.

At the start of the season I would grab a big bowl from the cupboard and Ollie and I would head to the garden to harvest whatever was ready.  One day, as my bowl was so full the veggies were spilling out of it, Jay looked at me and said "you need a bucket or a basket or something".  I said "I know.  Someone I follow on Instagram just posted a picture of her harvest basket that her husband made.  It was nice - metal mesh and wood sides and handle.  You're too busy though, so maybe next year."  I didn't give it another thought.

Later in the week Jay comes out of his shop holding the PERFECT harvest basket.  He had made it in between other projects he was working on.  Such a sweet gift! 

So now, Ollie and I take our harvest basket with us to the garden on our daily check-in.

looking up one of our mammoth sunflowers

the 2 mammoth sunflowers that survived the whistle pig feast are on the left

Homestead Projects

We have a list of projects that we are hoping to accomplish before fall.  We've managed to check off some of the easier projects, but not so much the larger projects.  Here's what we're chipping away at:

paint the dining room (done)

stain the back deck (done)

paint the living room

fix columns and lay new flooring on one of the two front porches (second porch will be done next year)

paint 2 sides of the house (same color, just refreshing it - the other 2 sides will be done next year)

install fence around the garden (temporarily done - permanent fencing will be done next spring)

build and install a new outdoor pole light in the front yard

build a small nesting box area/water station for garden (so when the chickens are tasked with the garden fall clean-up, they have a place to lay eggs)

chop and stack wood for the woodstove in the shop (done although we may chop a bit more)

install gutters on the outbuildings and hook-up rain barrels (done)

create a raised bed hoop house for one of our garden beds so we can grow greens through late fall/early winter (done for now - we purchased/found the items needed to make this in fall)

Animals

We are not going to add any more animals to the homestead for now and that includes chickens.  The current flock will get smaller, gradually, as the inevitable happens.  We had one pass away this week, she was one of the older girls, and we fully anticipate a few more passing this year from old age.  It certainly doesn't get any easier to deal with death, but at least we have developed a bit of a plan now, of keeping them safe and comfortable during the process.  We also know more about signs, because with chickens, they usually mask illness.  This helps us so we can watch closer and try to make sure they are protected.  

Death is one of the parts of having animals that is so difficult.  Unfortunately, as birds become sick and/or begin the dying process, some of the others can become very cannibalistic.  It's not a pretty sight.  So once we see that one of the girls isn't feeling well, we are able to remove them, but not totally, from the flock.  They are social creatures, so full removal seems to make them stressed and upset.  Instead, we make sure they are separated by a fence allowing them to still feel a part of the flock without getting incessantly pecked at and stepped on.  And no, we don't let them suffer.  If there's any sign of that, and we've done all we can do to make them well, we step in.  

Our overall plan is to get out of the egg-selling business and keep a very small flock (6-8 girls).  With a flock of 24 girls, it will take some time for the flock to naturally reduce (we're down from the 32 we had last year), so we won't be bringing in any chicks until we have less then 8 girls.

zucchini chocolate chip muffins

What Do You Do With All Of That Zucchini?

Isn't this the question you ask yourself every single year?  I always think I have a plan to keep up with it but I struggle by August.  I give it a heck of an effort though.  Here's what we've been doing with our zucchini:

slicing it lengthwise and grilling it (alternatively, you could broil or bake it).  We both love it.  Jay sprinkles a bit of parmesan on his and I like mine plain.  It's sooooo juicy and delicious.

cutting it into chunks and sautéing it with onions and corn.  I add a bit of butter to Jay's and mine is plain.  We just love the combination.

stuffing it.  As noted in this weekending post (at the bottom), I always enjoy coming up with new stuffing ideas.  The key is to bake, boil, or grill the scooped out zucchini halves before you fill and bake them so they are nice and soft once finished.

making our very favorite chocolate zucchini cake. Even my husband who isn't the world's biggest chocolate fan LOVES both versions.  The original version is here.  The healthier/reduced oil and sugar version is here.

making Kate's recipe for healthier zucchini bread.

making zucchini and chocolate chip muffins.  They are ah-mazing!  I just realized I've never shared the recipe here.  I'll try to get that on the blog!

making zucchini noodles with homemade pesto.  Soooo good!

adding zucchini to grilled kebabs.  (everything gets marinated in italian dressing first)

adding zucchini to soups such as minestrone.

making zucchini cobbler.  (tastes just like apple cobbler)

making veggie stew.  I use zucchini and whatever fresh veg is in the garden to make stew as the temps begin to drop in the fall.

I'm not a big fan of eating it raw (there's a weirdness to it) or as zucchini "fries", so those didn't make the list.  We've made zucchini pickles in the past but we aren't huge pickle eaters so I haven't been making them.  

I'd love to hear your family's favorite ways to eat zucchini!

Oliver, my garden/kitchen/preserving/everything helper

Preserving, Or, What We'll Be Eating This Winter

Since our garden is now in full swing, the preserving process has finally begun!  

Green beans - as noted above, they are being put up in the freezer weekly.

Peppers - so far we've only collected enough jalapeno's to preserve, so those have been made into pickled jalapeno rings.

Relish - our cucumbers are struggling this year.  I've never had an issue with cukes, so I'm not sure what's happening.  So we purchased some cucumbers from the farmer's market and, along with our bell peppers and onions we'll can enough relish for my husband to enjoy with his occasional hot dog lunch.

Zucchini - I did freeze some grated zucchini (portioned into 2 cup servings) that I can add to muffins, quick breads, etc.

Onions - we are drying quite a few and then I'll chop and freeze the remainder.

How do you figure out how much veggies to preserve?  This is a question I receive a lot.  For us, this is how I plan it.  We typically rotate the same dishes all winter long so I can usually predict how often during the week we'll eat veggies such as green beans, broccoli, winter squash, tomato sauce, etc.  I then times that by how many weeks we'll need preserved food and that's how I calculate it.  So, as an example, I plan on serving green beans twice a week for 28 weeks which means I will need to freeze 56 bags of green beans (bagged in single-serving sizes).  

It gets a bit more difficult with carrots, corn, onions, canned chopped tomatoes, and peppers because I use them on their own as well as in many different dishes.  Over time, through trial and error, I've made it so I can get pretty close.  For the frozen veggies, I flash-freeze them and then store them in large, gallon-size bags, so I can just take out what I need when I'm cooking.

That's July around the homestead!

This Month On The Farm: July 2020 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

[allwaysfull]

Cooking From Scratch | PCC Community Markets

Breakfast

Stir-Fried Cabbage w Fried Eggs

Whole Grains, Nuts, and Seeds Granola

Rhubarb-Cardamom Muffins

Heavenly Scones

Potato and Egg Baskets

Berry Cobbler Overnight Oatmeal

Baked Dutch Baby Pancakes

Cornmeal Pancakes/Quick Mixed Berry Syrus

Cheesy Egg Boats

Warm Grapefruit w Honey and Ginger

Carrot Wheat Waffles

Chilaquiles

Hash Primer | Sweet Potato Hash

Soups and Stews

Tiger Mountain Turkey Chili

Spring Pea Soup

Butternut Squash-Apple Soup

Egyptian Red Lentil Soup

Spicy Pork and Sweet Potato Stew

Lentil and White Bean Stew

Broccoli, Lemon, and Parmesan Soup

Asparagus Vichyssoise

Cauliflower-Cheddar Soup

Chowder Primer | Tarragon Corn Chowder

Salads

Grilled Corn Salad w Goat Cheese

Apple, Bok Choy, and Carrot Slaw

California Potato Salad

Blueberry-Nectarine Caprese Salad

Roasted Cherry, Chorizo and Orzo Salad

Spiced Squash Salad w Lentils and Goat Cheese

Emerald City Salad

Endive Salad w Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Pears

Citrus Beet Slaw

Walnut-Beet Salad

Kale and Quinoa Salad w Lemon-Garlic Dressing

Hearty Greens Caesar (w Chard and Kale) | Caesar Dressing

Peach and Pickled Onion Salad w Brown Rice

Perfect Protein Salad w Spelt, Chickpeas, Cucumber, Carrot, Pepper

Preserved Lemon and Anchovies w Fennel | Quick Pickled Lemons

Artichoke and Greens Salad

Shredded Seasonal Vegetables w Lime-Peanut Dressing (Som Tum)

Vinaigrette Primer

Cara Cara and Blood Orange Salad w Sweet Chili-Sesame Vinaigrette

Main Courses

Spice-Rubbed Grilled Pork Chops

Fennel and Basil Lasagna

Slow-Roasted Salmon

Pomegranate Molasses Grilled Chicken

Curried Lentil and Mango Wraps

Steph’s Tofu

Roasted Leg of Lamb Stuffed w Herbs and Garlic

Grass-Fed Prime Rib

Dry-Brined Roast Turkey

Halibut w Ginger-Rhubarb Sauce

Beef and Bean Enchiladas

Spicy Chicken Thighs

Marinades Primer | Basic, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Jordanian

Sesame-Ginger London Broil

Side Dishes

Asparagus w White Beans and Hazelnuts

Edamame and Chickpeas w Tahini Dressing

Roasted Cauliflower and Kohlrabi w Lemon-Tahini Sauce

Pan-Roasted Sweet Potatoes w Cranberries and Pecans

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Caesar

Summertime Fritters

Roasted Cumin Carrots

Oven-Roasted Caponata

Emmer Farro w Tangerines and Persimmons

Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad

Sherried Leek and Chanterelle Gravy

Stuffing Primer | Cornbread, Wild Rice, Rye Bread, Sougdough, Quinoa

Easy Week-Night Meals

Chicken Piccata Salad w Grilled Lemons

Spicy Tofu and Spelt

Seared Scallops w Arugula Pesto

Italian Sausages w Roasted Grapes

Burrito Bowls

Chicken Potpie w Dill Buttermilk Biscuits

Quinoa Enchilada Bake

Linguine w Asparagus and Peas

Asparagus Ravioli Salad

Shrimp and Grits

Creamy Winter Squash Fettuccine

Chicken Quesadillas w Apple Salsa

Egg Korma

Thai Steak Salad

Stir-Fry Primer | Pork, Tofu, Flank Steak, Shrimp, Chicken

Garlicky Green Beans and Shrimp

Snack & Apps

Grilled Plum and Nectarine Salsa

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Fresh Fava Bean Hummus

Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Spread (Muhammara)

Cornmeal, Parmesan, and Thyme Crackers

Avocado Toast w Goat Cheese and Radishes

Nut and Honey Clusters

Mango and Avocado Fresh Rolls

Crostini w Goat Cheese and Rhubarb-Thyme Jam

Feta and Sun-Dried Tomato Spread

Spicy Herb-Roasted Nuts

Lentil and Walnut Pâté

Roasted Sweet Potato Dip

Spicy Peanut Popcorn

Energy Bar Primer | Oats, Spelt, Rice, Rye

Drinks

Cold Brew Coffee

Hibiscus Tea Concentrate

Sparkling Blueberry Lemonade

Mango Lassi

Honeydew-Lemongrass Agua Fresca

Pineapple-Buttermilk Smoothie

Mexican Hot Chocolate (Champurrado)

Zesty Fall Cider

Golden Milk

Ginger-Cranberry Kombucha Mimosa

Kimchi Bloody Mary

Orange-Kümmel Cocktail

Sangria Primer | Rosé, Lillet, Cointreau, Viognier, Riesling, Lambrusco, Prosecco, Rioja, Blanca

Desserts

Avocado Brownies

Cherry-Balsamic Upside-Down Cake

Flourless Chocolate Crinkles

Finnish Buttermilk Cake

Hibiscus Lemon Bars

Flourless Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies

Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberries

Vegan Gingersnaps

Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake

Plum Hand Pies

Crisps & Crumbles Primer | Rhubarb, Mangoes, Sour Cherries, Apricots, Nectarines, Raspberries, Sweet Potatoes, Pears, Cranberries, Bananas

[adtwixt]

Adtwixt - News: August Diary: Promises I'm Making Myself

Regular news updates from Adtwixt Saturday:  It's late in Shabat, just two hours more to have the full extent of the day of rest.  Today began early.  I stepped out on the porch to feed the pets and looked at the sun rising and sang "Shema".   That I remember the Hebrew after all these years away from synagogue, that these words come easily still at the sight of daybreak, astounds me: Shema, Israel, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad. Hear O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One... It was a hurry up sort of morning, but the wonder of God was  there on the front porch this morning.  I felt reverent as I went about the rest of my morning preparations. Katie and I went to pick up Taylor.  Over the hills and through the woods and past meadows shining in the golden morning light and alongside fields of freshly mown hay with bales scattered here and there.  Over creeks flowing over rocks and rivers slowly moving along sandy beds.  And everywhere the golden rod standing high, the mallow stems heavy with buds, foxtail grass dancing in the air currents, and trees with autumn hues already tinging the leaves scattered amongst the pines.   My heart ached and swelled as each new sight came into view, singing a song of both joy and grief, as I see the signs of one season passing into another.  I have learned to find something lovely and beautiful in every season of the year rather than claim just one as my favorite.  And so I must grieve the loss of one and rejoice in the other. Bonus of this road trip today was being in near proximity to a well known peach shed which blissfully was packed with traffic, a sure sign they had peaches still.  I passed a little tent with a table laden with little yellow squash and red ripe tomatoes.  My mouth watered.   On our way back to the house, when time was not quite the premium thing it was on the trip up,  I stopped and bought a big basket of peaches. I didn't even ask the price.  I got heavy red ripe tomatoes big enough to fill my hand.  I filled a sack with tender little yellow summer squash.   I didn't care about my financial state just at that moment.  I cared about savoring the remaining days of summer and it's lovely fruitful state. And in the end, it's all part and parcel of the grocery budget which renews on Monday anyway.  I'll borrow now and cut back later. I asked how much longer they might have peaches.  "We hope we can stay open until next weekend."  One week...Just one week more and then we're done with peaches for the next 10 months.  I haven't eaten nearly enough of them.  I've made just one cobbler all summer long.  I promise that next year I shall eat my fill, I shall make cobblers galore, I will.... We came home and I cut up the squash with one of the last Vidalia onions into a frying pan and then added 1/4 cup of water, covered them and let them steam gently.  I made a salad with half a tomato diced finely over it.  "I've not even had a single fresh tomato sandwich..." I said, as I sprinkled those lovely red bits over the green lettuce.  "I promise I shall have at least one this week and next year..." Oh, next year! We had a lovely visit after dinner with Taylor and Katie.  Taylor wanted purple nails "with glitter...which we do NOT eat!"   Sometimes a child does hint at some corrected behavior don't they?  I imagined her with a mouth sparkled with glitter at her nursery school and a sparkling tongue and giggles before the teacher noticed... So I did her nails and then on a whim, I used the glittery polish to coat my own nails.  I'm too old for glitter...but I think it looks magical in the light.   Didn't I promise myself to do my fingernails more often?  Oh! one more promise I really need to keep! Taylor asked about the little cats on the bookshelf.  "One day," I told her, "they shall be yours...because my grandmother gave them to me and I would like to give them to you,  my granddaughter."   Not that Taylor's my only granddaughter, I have four more but somehow I know that Taylor is the one these cats belong to.   It feels odd to be thinking of little legacies such as this, but I told Katie and John, "Listen to me.  Be my witnesses. This is my promise:  these cats will be Taylor's and if I die before I gift them to her, be sure that she gets them...and the little girl with a book will be Hailey's." Taylor crawled into my lap and leaned on my shoulder.  "I love you..."  Oh my heart!  How blessed I am to know the very genuine love of these children of my children.  How very blessed! John took Katie and Taylor home to Katie's a little later.   I sat here in the quiet, with my thoughts whispering all about me.  Tired and happy and mindful of things I want to hold tight to and mindful that none of these endless days of housework, no matter how satisfying the work may be, will be the things I remember most.  It will indeed be the taste of a sun ripened peach grown in Georgia soil, the feel of a little girl's head on my shoulder, the way a good ripe tomato smells and summer squash tastes, and how lovely a meadow is in sunlight of a dewy morning.  It will be those things which I shall remember and it makes keeping these promises to myself imperative. John has stepped out on the 'verandah' as he chooses to call the front porch and the wind is blowing hot and heavy and ringing the old iron chimes.  Ting, ting, ting, ting...Deeper than most windchimes.   I confess I'm more fond of middle and deeper tones than the tinkly sorts of chimes.  These please me. It takes a real wind to stir those bells to life.  In the distance, coming ever nearer, thunder rumbles.   Summer's music...Please Lord, make me mindful of my promises to keep! Sunday:  There are sheets and towels on the line and peach cobbler cooling atop the stove.  Not for us that cobbler but for Taylor's daddy.  The house about me is clean and quiet just now.  Here in a little bit I shall head over to Katie's to visit with them for a little while before Taylor begins her journey home. I sent John off to work this morning and tackled housework right away though I was tired and thought longingly of going back to my bed.  But not today.  Today there are sheets to blow in the sunlight and a house to put to order and a child to spend time loving. I think John is feeling the pull of the seasonal change.  He's asked me to make a turkey pot pie this week and I've promised I shall.   He wants Roast beef hash, too...and he'll have that as well, but it amuses me that he's wanting these comforting cooler weather sorts of foods.  I've told you before that summer salads do pall for us after a bit.   We'll have a few more despite these longings of ours for cozy meals.   A chef salad will be a quick and easy meal after grocery shopping this week...and I find myself suddenly making up menus for the week ahead, something I'd let drop for a bit because I was just flat tired of planning.  However, between leftovers and requests I guess I've got this week pretty much covered...Now let's see how many of these meals I actually get to make.  The roast beef meal we had on Saturday and the enchiladas were thawed on Friday when John had said we'd skip the date then got that second wind in his sails and wanted to go out after all. The roast beef is in the fridge... Everything else is frozen at present or is fresh and ready to prepare. Roast Beef, Summer Squash and Onions, Tossed Salad, Matzoh Cracker Candy Chicken Verde Enchiladas, Yellow Rice and Peach Salsa Roast Beef Hash, Wedge Salads with Thousand Island Dressing on my own  out with Mama Chef's Salad, Homemade Croutons, Peach Cobbler (for us) Turkey Pot Pie, Cranberry Sauce, Pear Salads And there's my menu plan! Speaking of food: one of the frugal articles I read last week dealt with grocery spending.  She cited the USDA government site  where you can see what food costs were for the prior month and how much one following the thrifty or low cost plans might be spending.  And then she suggested that financial advisors suggest 6% of our annual income is what we ought to spend.  As nearly as I recall how to figure percentages our spending should be something like $61 a week for the two of us.  Now  that's only for food.  It does not include pet supplies, paper or cleaning products etc.   It is also a good deal less than the government's food plan figures for a thrifty diet.  According to their figures in June we would have been spending about $84/per week.  I actually think I came in right around there  with a few paper products and one or two pet items tossed in but those would not account for more than $11 so I'm still nowhere near the 6% mark.  It does give me food for thought.  I was so proud of trimming my budget to $300 a month...But could I possibly hit closer to $244?   I'm pretty sure my husband would rebel hard at that but I'm tempted to try it just the same.  And of course, once we do retire, our 6% would also be a good bit less than $244...so I feel I owe it to myself to try and trim things back a bit more.   I'll let you know! Now off I go to unload the dishwasher and finish my bit of housework. Monday:  More tired and weary than I'd thought I'd be today...I didn't plan a day of mostly rest, but there you are.  I realized this morning that I basically did the equivalent of a drive to Kingsland and back with a brief stay to visit...but 8 hours of driving!  I felt it this morning. Thankfully only light housework was needed and dinner was pretty much ready.  I am reheating Chicken Enchiladas and have a salad made.  I'd meant to have peach salsa  with this meal but it's more effort than I want to go to today. John and I have been watching an interesting series of videos where the YouTubers go to visit old graveyards along back roads here in Georgia, some of them which are severely neglected.  I think it's made us both aware of the graveyard back of our house.  It is not on my property but just over the fence line.  Granny and Granddaddy always maintained the graveyard and when my cousin bought the land, so did he.  However, when it fell into my brother's hands it was no longer kept up.  I'd asked to take it on with his permission and he agreed but then he wired all the entrances shut with barbed wire so that I couldn't get into the area.  Now that Sam owns the land, I think I can get to it once more, but ten years of neglect means that it's now snaky and heavily overgrown. It is my hope that we can reclaim the space and maintain it once more but both Sam and John feel the graveyard is just too far gone.  However, come cold weather I shall go there and begin to do what I might.  Another  of my 'small bites' projects.  I feel sure if I start it Sam and John will eventually have pity on me and join in... The graveyard was not a family ground.  It belonged to a huge old Federal house that sat on the hill before ours.  This land was likely part of that original land grant but I haven't yet researched it out to prove that fact.   Still, I do know the people buried near my home were once residents there.  I would like to do my part in preserving a little bit of history, especially since the house burned down 30 odd years ago. Another promise I shall make this week: reclaim the graveyard and give it it's proper care. Tuesday:  We didn't do much of anything at all yesterday.  I was just worn out.  Some days are just so.  John did a load of laundry and hung a few things to dry.  I made meals and kept those simple and easy. Today we played catch up.  Typically we'd drive down on payday to pick up John's check if he's not working  the Tuesday following.  Well he wasn't working today, but we didn't go down yesterday afternoon.  He wanted to cut Sam's grass since Sam's busy with renovations inside the house. John went over yesterday afternoon,  though why he waited until afternoon to do so is beyond me.  It was so terribly hot, with a heat index of 107f.  It's been that way all week long.  It's meant to end here this weekend, though. I lived without AC for years and years.  We had only window units we used occasionally.  The year Sam was born was one year when we used AC all summer long because it was miserably hot from May to September that year.  Real temperatures that year were near 110F.  Between the summer heat and the winter cold we spent much of the year living in just one or two rooms.  That's all we could heat or cool in those years. It was very expensive to run AC in the 1980's and '90s.  When John and I got together and were struggling so we simply could not afford to run the window units though they were brand new.  We ended up compromising.  We turned them on Friday evening when we came in from work and turned them off Sunday night when we went to bed (11pm). It cost us over $300 a month to run it 8 days.   We've never paid that much a month here in the worst of our summers.  We came near it this past autumn when it was freezing and we had to run the emergency heat after our motor went out on the unit.   But all in all, AC is much more affordable than it was 25 years ago and I am so grateful for that! Today we did the payday errands: banking, bills, and groceries.  Not as much work as it sounds  because I have the bills ready to go out days ahead and then I just take them to the mailbox as soon as we do the banking.   John had warned we'd have a shorter check.  We didn't.   It wasn't quite enough to meet all our needs this time around but I'd already planned ahead for that,  so it was easy enough to proceed as planned.  I'll be sure to tell him we're on a no spend from now until next pay period which should see us through this small slump. I did well enough on groceries.  I didn't buy any meat this time around.  I'd looked at chuck roasts but they were very fatty and the one I thought worth purchasing was over $20...Wowza!  I decided I'd just skip it.  I know we've plenty of meat on hand at present. As I put groceries away in the pantry, I suggested to John that we might skip a big grocery shop next pay period and get just dairy and produce as needed.  We have quite a deep pantry at the moment and I saw only two or three items that I wished to stock more heavily, like flour, cereal and coffee.   Again, good sales will  fill those needs. I was thinking this morning that over the years I've found lots of ways to save money. Our mobile phone service is quite reasonable. We pay roughly the same for two phones that we once paid for one landline and one prepaid phone.  At one point our mobile phone company bought out our satellite TV service.  We were able to combine bills and make a small savings.  However, I soon discovered the days of renegotiating our satellite service contract was an exercise in futility with the phone company as boss.  So much for twenty five years of good customer status! Our local phone service internet was abysmal.  It had gotten so that we had no internet service from Friday afternoon at 4pm until Monday morning at 9am.  No we didn't get any discounts for the lack of service.  The company denied there was any problem!  So we moved to a satellite service.  We paid a LOT for that service.  Double what we'd paid for the local service.  However,  it was reliable and we had service we could count on. When our current mobile phone service offered an unlimited data pan  we hopped right on, changed phone plans and got the newly available hot spot.  We dropped internet satellite and saved on new smart phones, buying older models that were heavily discounted, paying cash up front.  That kept our phone bills low.   Smart phones for the same price as a mobile/text service?  Please and thank you! When lightning ran in on our television last August, we bought a Fire TV and in January I finally convinced John to quit satellite.  We dropped the satellite TV service which meant we paid still less out of pocket.  I was already paying for Amazon Prime membership each month, well worth the savings in shipping alone.  We aren't big shoppers, but I guarantee I order something from Amazon every month that is cheaper than I can find it elsewhere and that is covered under the prime free shipping.  We watch pretty much all the television we want to watch with our hot spot.  We did subscribe to Netflix' basic plan.  I am still paying far less for the phone service with unlimited data, Amazon and Netflix than I previously paid for phones, internet and satellite tv services. But for all that some things change, others pretty much stay the same.  We've paid basically the same amount for gasoline each month for the past 20 years.  Some years we drive more and some we drive less.  Our average is always right around the same amount each month for costs though. Groceries is another area that remained fairly stable for a long number of years.  I stopped buying certain items and made more from scratch and yet it's only been in these past two years I've begun to see a significant savings in the grocery spending.   I might add that during this two year period of time I've fed more people and spent less, while previously we spent a good deal more and fed only two.   Now that we're basically feeding just the two of us once more, I've watched my budget amount drop to what is an all time low for us.   Still...I could perhaps save more and I am working on it! Being frugal is never a stagnant and finite thing.  As time goes on, some of those ways I saved are no longer valid.  Eating habits change, income changes, products and promotions leave the market or come on the market. Our needs change.  What is needed in this stage of life is not the same as what was needed previously and won't be the same in five years.  For every new thing that comes along there are new ways to save and manage. Being frugal has never been boring!  And for me, that's what keeps it fun. Thursday:  I had every intent of sharing with you all yesterday but by the time I was done with Mama, I was really and most sincerely done in every sense of the word.  Once Bess and the boys left (and what good medicine they were!), I hadn't even the energy to eat.  I drank a V8 and showered and went off to bed with a book on prayer and fell asleep and slept the bulk of all night long.  Wailing and gnashing of teeth might have occurred in moderation in between that V8 and the shower but it was in extreme moderation. Today is better.   Today I am mindful of my many blessings and mindful of my own ways and words.  As well I ought to be.  Difficult relationships sometimes never cease to be difficult.  But more on that another day and time, perhaps. This morning I greeted John with a proper big breakfast.  Funny thing, we are eating less these days.  I suppose it's partly due to the heat and partly due to the fact that so much of what we choose to eat is just good fresh foods and they fill us amply even when eaten in moderation.  Our 'big' breakfast consisted of Fried egg, grits, toast and turkey sausage.   It is a big breakfast but certainly not one of those mammoth restaurant 'big' sorts of breakfasts. After breakfast I started a loaf of bread.  I'd really meant to get one going yesterday morning when John left as I was sure it would be done by the time I was ready to leave for Mama's, but time slipped away from me as I got all out of routine and did things in far different time frames than usual...which all worked  lovely as I was practically dressed and fully made up by the time Bess and Isaac stopped in to start their laundry.  Quick prayers, everyone, that work on their utility room goes through this weekend and their washer and dryer are up and running once more.  It's hard work lugging loads and loads of clothes from there to here and back again... Mama, as I expected, wanted to go to the big peach packing shed just 20 minutes north of me.  It is a good hour or so from her house...But go we did and I bought a half peck of peaches.  For one thing I meant to share with Bess, and I did.   I will put some in the freezer.  And I want to savor the last of this seasonal fruit because I do love peaches! For some reason the morning flew past.  Quicker than usual.  I'm not real sure why.   Well I do too know why.  John and I had a lot to talk over this morning and to think about and come back to talk over one more time.  I was still finishing up Bible study while our dinner cooked today.  It was one of those lovely Bible study sessions in which each passage of scripture I read today was pertinent to my own thoughts about matters that we'd discussed.   Friday:  The end of another week...They do fly by these days, don't they?   John and I have a lot to consider these days.  There's a possibility that our plans for retirement will be pushed forward from next June to end of this year.  All my plans to save money and stash away all I might as far as non-perishable things will be more modest than I'd been shooting for.  I'm not worried, but it is a little disconcerting.   Still, nothing is yet set in stone and we are at the point where now is as good as later and we'll trust God's timing.  In the end, we must always let go of our plans and rely on Him anyway, as I've discovered more than once. My house is very nearly Shabat ready.   We've no plans for this weekend aside from going to church.  I will have turkey pot pie for tomorrow's dinner which I'll do my best to prep ahead.  I'm debating dessert options.  On the one hand, I think gelatin or pudding would be a nice counter to the hot pot pie, don't you?   I'd love to make a lemon meringue pie but not sure I really want to go to that much work this afternoon when the kitchen is pretty much cleaned for the weekend.  I'll have to think on this.   I  have a Chef Salad for our main meal today.   It was on my menu plan and I find between cheese, a few slivers of turkey and some hard boiled egg we've plenty of protein and fat to satisfy us all afternoon long.  And there's a lovely bit of leftover peach cobbler, though I did make a smaller one yesterday.    And that is my week, full of the expected, and the unexpected, full of the lovely and the difficult, full of promises to keep.   Frugal things: The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so nothing be lost  I mean fragments of time as well as materials...every member of a household should be employed either in earning or saving money. The American Frugal Housewife ~ Lydia Maria Francis Child It's quite hot and the AC is pretty much running non-stop until 10 pm every night and then coming on periodically all through the night and early mornings.  I turned the AC up to 78, not my favorite point as it tends to feel a bit more stuffy, but it at least is one way to save.  I've noted the AC cuts off earlier and stays off a wee bit longer. (This should end as of Tuesday evening this week...Milder temperatures are coming our way.  Hooray!) I'm also being very mindful of running water unnecessarily at present.   This is finally getting to be more and more a habit with me as I have always tended to be the sort who let the water run and run as I rinsed dishes for the dishwasher or brushed my teeth or washed my face.  However, electricity is money and so I am doing my best to be mindful that the pump must run if I must run water. Happily, all the heat keeps generating pop up rain showers so watering plants is not a chore I must attend to.  As for porch and house plants, it's easy enough to 'save' water from bits left in bottles or glasses or that is running while it's cold and I'm needing hot to catch up and use for those.  And if I'm quick, I can often pop a porch planter under the run off from the roof and water plants with rain water. I may be just longing to shop but I know my current season isn't going to be any less tight if I run up a credit card bill, so I'm deleting tempting emails full of sales and waiting a few days before even considering those few purchases that make it into a cart.  So far, nothing has made it from the cart to 'order' because I either forget it or I discover something I can use that I already have or I just make up my mind to go without. I ordered a new phone case and accessory ring  from eBay.  I bought the last case two years ago and it's falling apart.  I tried to remove the ring from the old case but it's a no go.  I even went to  YouTube and I discovered that they don't re-stick once removed.  The new ring  was pennies on the dollar  on eBay for the exact same one I bought for bigger bucks at the phone store last year.  I literally saved enough on the ring to cover the cost of the new case and keep change in my pocket.   In case you're wondering what a phone ring is, it's a ring that you stick to the back of your phone or phone case and  can slide a finger through and  allows you to hold the phone without dropping it.  Dropping my phone is an issue for me, so the ring isn't a vanity thing, it's purely a necessity.  Ditto for the phone case.  I get the shock absorbing sort of case.  Both items will be paid from my allowance. Sunday morning I did a full load of dishes right away after John left for work and then I ran a full load of laundry (sheets and towels).  Everything air dried. John and I combined errands when we went out to shop for groceries. I checked with John about how he liked the bread machine bread I've been making.  He thinks it's great...and so I suggested I make a couple loaves a week, and we supplement with the occasional loaf that we'll keep in the freezer.   Once at the store I decided to buy smaller sized loaves.  Same number of slices per loaf but just a smaller piece of bread overall.  The smaller sized loafs were about $1 cheaper.  With the homemade machine bread we've been eating  half slices. I've given in to buying cookies for John this summer.  It's not worth heating up the kitchen for any period of time to make them...but I told him as soon as it starts to cool off I mean to make more homemade cookies and forgo the bought ones until the Spekulaas cookies are in market once more.  In the meantime, Tammy has inspired me to make a batch of those yummy stovetop chocolate oatmeal cookies.  I'd forgotten those as an oven free option.  John loves those cookies. No meat purchased today, but only because I thought better of it when I priced the nicest chuck roast in the counter.  I had a fair idea of how much meat I had in the freezer at home (not to mention how much is in the fridge at present) and I felt we could by pass that purchase.  I'll watch for good sales on meat in the next few weeks and try to stock up then. I suggested to John it would be worthwhile to return to purchasing chicken breasts and ground beef on special at the organic market we used to visit.  I've noted that the price at the organic market is nearly $2/pound less so it's well worth driving there for the savings. Made a loaf of bread, a small peach cobbler and used up leftover roast beef and gravy to make hash. John hung most of a load of clothes to dry. I washed a full load of dishes in the dishwasher. I've downloaded a few free books for my Kindle.  Most are Christian non-fiction but one was a children's book (never know when that might come in handy!) and Mansfield Park by Jane Austen was free the other day.  I am not going nuts adding books.  I am trying to be thoughtful about what I might truly read and most will be deleted once I'm done but in time I will add books I really want to buy that are cheaper via Kindle and won't take up space on my filled bookcases...Not to say I am done buying hard cover books.  Some friends just deserve a full time home where I can hold them and love them as I read! I've started a 'stock up list'.   So far I've got tissues (for cold and flu season) and cold medicine (ditto from previous), pineapple juice (same), matches, toilet paper, flour, coffee (regular and decaf) and boxed cereal.   I may add more as time goes on but these are items I am very well aware we're very low or empty on.  Oh and candles!  We use them for our Shabats and typically two candles last us a couple or three months but they are awfully handy when power goes out as well so I like to stock up. I've started adding tissues and paper towels to our compost.  And this morning, I decided it was worth while to shred our weekly newspapers as well.  I've been adding shredded mail for quite a while but these are extra items I know I can compost.  I plan to 'grow my compost' so to speak, as I get more and more serious about my need for flowers and perhaps a few vegetables here and there. Meals: So I made my plans...how did that go?   Here's what we really ate this week Roast Beef, Squash, Tossed Salad McDonalds with Katie and Taylor Chicken Verde Enchiladas, Green Salad with Tomatoes and Green Onions Chicken Salad Sandwiches with fresh fruit (take out) Chicken Livers and Fries with Mama Roast Beef Hash, Sliced Tomato Salad with Basil, Peach Cobbler Chef's Salad, Oyster Crackers (something we often sub for croutons), Peach Cobbler (C) Terri Cheney For more information please click here

Adtwixt - News source https://adtwixt.com/blogs/news/august-diary-promises-im-making-myself

[agilenano]

Agilenano - News: August Diary: Promises I'm Making Myself

Saturday:  It's late in Shabat, just two hours more to have the full extent of the day of rest.  Today began early.  I stepped out on the porch to feed the pets and looked at the sun rising and sang "Shema".   That I remember the Hebrew after all these years away from synagogue, that these words come easily still at the sight of daybreak, astounds me: Shema, Israel, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad. Hear O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One... It was a hurry up sort of morning, but the wonder of God was  there on the front porch this morning.  I felt reverent as I went about the rest of my morning preparations. Katie and I went to pick up Taylor.  Over the hills and through the woods and past meadows shining in the golden morning light and alongside fields of freshly mown hay with bales scattered here and there.  Over creeks flowing over rocks and rivers slowly moving along sandy beds.  And everywhere the golden rod standing high, the mallow stems heavy with buds, foxtail grass dancing in the air currents, and trees with autumn hues already tinging the leaves scattered amongst the pines.   My heart ached and swelled as each new sight came into view, singing a song of both joy and grief, as I see the signs of one season passing into another.  I have learned to find something lovely and beautiful in every season of the year rather than claim just one as my favorite.  And so I must grieve the loss of one and rejoice in the other. Bonus of this road trip today was being in near proximity to a well known peach shed which blissfully was packed with traffic, a sure sign they had peaches still.  I passed a little tent with a table laden with little yellow squash and red ripe tomatoes.  My mouth watered.   On our way back to the house, when time was not quite the premium thing it was on the trip up,  I stopped and bought a big basket of peaches. I didn't even ask the price.  I got heavy red ripe tomatoes big enough to fill my hand.  I filled a sack with tender little yellow summer squash.   I didn't care about my financial state just at that moment.  I cared about savoring the remaining days of summer and it's lovely fruitful state. And in the end, it's all part and parcel of the grocery budget which renews on Monday anyway.  I'll borrow now and cut back later. I asked how much longer they might have peaches.  "We hope we can stay open until next weekend."  One week...Just one week more and then we're done with peaches for the next 10 months.  I haven't eaten nearly enough of them.  I've made just one cobbler all summer long.  I promise that next year I shall eat my fill, I shall make cobblers galore, I will.... We came home and I cut up the squash with one of the last Vidalia onions into a frying pan and then added 1/4 cup of water, covered them and let them steam gently.  I made a salad with half a tomato diced finely over it.  "I've not even had a single fresh tomato sandwich..." I said, as I sprinkled those lovely red bits over the green lettuce.  "I promise I shall have at least one this week and next year..." Oh, next year! We had a lovely visit after dinner with Taylor and Katie.  Taylor wanted purple nails "with glitter...which we do NOT eat!"   Sometimes a child does hint at some corrected behavior don't they?  I imagined her with a mouth sparkled with glitter at her nursery school and a sparkling tongue and giggles before the teacher noticed... So I did her nails and then on a whim, I used the glittery polish to coat my own nails.  I'm too old for glitter...but I think it looks magical in the light.   Didn't I promise myself to do my fingernails more often?  Oh! one more promise I really need to keep! Taylor asked about the little cats on the bookshelf.  "One day," I told her, "they shall be yours...because my grandmother gave them to me and I would like to give them to you,  my granddaughter."   Not that Taylor's my only granddaughter, I have four more but somehow I know that Taylor is the one these cats belong to.   It feels odd to be thinking of little legacies such as this, but I told Katie and John, "Listen to me.  Be my witnesses. This is my promise:  these cats will be Taylor's and if I die before I gift them to her, be sure that she gets them...and the little girl with a book will be Hailey's." Taylor crawled into my lap and leaned on my shoulder.  "I love you..."  Oh my heart!  How blessed I am to know the very genuine love of these children of my children.  How very blessed! John took Katie and Taylor home to Katie's a little later.   I sat here in the quiet, with my thoughts whispering all about me.  Tired and happy and mindful of things I want to hold tight to and mindful that none of these endless days of housework, no matter how satisfying the work may be, will be the things I remember most.  It will indeed be the taste of a sun ripened peach grown in Georgia soil, the feel of a little girl's head on my shoulder, the way a good ripe tomato smells and summer squash tastes, and how lovely a meadow is in sunlight of a dewy morning.  It will be those things which I shall remember and it makes keeping these promises to myself imperative. John has stepped out on the 'verandah' as he chooses to call the front porch and the wind is blowing hot and heavy and ringing the old iron chimes.  Ting, ting, ting, ting...Deeper than most windchimes.   I confess I'm more fond of middle and deeper tones than the tinkly sorts of chimes.  These please me. It takes a real wind to stir those bells to life.  In the distance, coming ever nearer, thunder rumbles.   Summer's music...Please Lord, make me mindful of my promises to keep! Sunday:  There are sheets and towels on the line and peach cobbler cooling atop the stove.  Not for us that cobbler but for Taylor's daddy.  The house about me is clean and quiet just now.  Here in a little bit I shall head over to Katie's to visit with them for a little while before Taylor begins her journey home. I sent John off to work this morning and tackled housework right away though I was tired and thought longingly of going back to my bed.  But not today.  Today there are sheets to blow in the sunlight and a house to put to order and a child to spend time loving. I think John is feeling the pull of the seasonal change.  He's asked me to make a turkey pot pie this week and I've promised I shall.   He wants Roast beef hash, too...and he'll have that as well, but it amuses me that he's wanting these comforting cooler weather sorts of foods.  I've told you before that summer salads do pall for us after a bit.   We'll have a few more despite these longings of ours for cozy meals.   A chef salad will be a quick and easy meal after grocery shopping this week...and I find myself suddenly making up menus for the week ahead, something I'd let drop for a bit because I was just flat tired of planning.  However, between leftovers and requests I guess I've got this week pretty much covered...Now let's see how many of these meals I actually get to make.  The roast beef meal we had on Saturday and the enchiladas were thawed on Friday when John had said we'd skip the date then got that second wind in his sails and wanted to go out after all. The roast beef is in the fridge... Everything else is frozen at present or is fresh and ready to prepare. Roast Beef, Summer Squash and Onions, Tossed Salad, Matzoh Cracker Candy Chicken Verde Enchiladas, Yellow Rice and Peach Salsa Roast Beef Hash, Wedge Salads with Thousand Island Dressing on my own  out with Mama Chef's Salad, Homemade Croutons, Peach Cobbler (for us) Turkey Pot Pie, Cranberry Sauce, Pear Salads And there's my menu plan! Speaking of food: one of the frugal articles I read last week dealt with grocery spending.  She cited the USDA government site  where you can see what food costs were for the prior month and how much one following the thrifty or low cost plans might be spending.  And then she suggested that financial advisors suggest 6% of our annual income is what we ought to spend.  As nearly as I recall how to figure percentages our spending should be something like $61 a week for the two of us.  Now  that's only for food.  It does not include pet supplies, paper or cleaning products etc.   It is also a good deal less than the government's food plan figures for a thrifty diet.  According to their figures in June we would have been spending about $84/per week.  I actually think I came in right around there  with a few paper products and one or two pet items tossed in but those would not account for more than $11 so I'm still nowhere near the 6% mark.  It does give me food for thought.  I was so proud of trimming my budget to $300 a month...But could I possibly hit closer to $244?   I'm pretty sure my husband would rebel hard at that but I'm tempted to try it just the same.  And of course, once we do retire, our 6% would also be a good bit less than $244...so I feel I owe it to myself to try and trim things back a bit more.   I'll let you know! Now off I go to unload the dishwasher and finish my bit of housework. Monday:  More tired and weary than I'd thought I'd be today...I didn't plan a day of mostly rest, but there you are.  I realized this morning that I basically did the equivalent of a drive to Kingsland and back with a brief stay to visit...but 8 hours of driving!  I felt it this morning. Thankfully only light housework was needed and dinner was pretty much ready.  I am reheating Chicken Enchiladas and have a salad made.  I'd meant to have peach salsa  with this meal but it's more effort than I want to go to today. John and I have been watching an interesting series of videos where the YouTubers go to visit old graveyards along back roads here in Georgia, some of them which are severely neglected.  I think it's made us both aware of the graveyard back of our house.  It is not on my property but just over the fence line.  Granny and Granddaddy always maintained the graveyard and when my cousin bought the land, so did he.  However, when it fell into my brother's hands it was no longer kept up.  I'd asked to take it on with his permission and he agreed but then he wired all the entrances shut with barbed wire so that I couldn't get into the area.  Now that Sam owns the land, I think I can get to it once more, but ten years of neglect means that it's now snaky and heavily overgrown. It is my hope that we can reclaim the space and maintain it once more but both Sam and John feel the graveyard is just too far gone.  However, come cold weather I shall go there and begin to do what I might.  Another  of my 'small bites' projects.  I feel sure if I start it Sam and John will eventually have pity on me and join in... The graveyard was not a family ground.  It belonged to a huge old Federal house that sat on the hill before ours.  This land was likely part of that original land grant but I haven't yet researched it out to prove that fact.   Still, I do know the people buried near my home were once residents there.  I would like to do my part in preserving a little bit of history, especially since the house burned down 30 odd years ago. Another promise I shall make this week: reclaim the graveyard and give it it's proper care. Tuesday:  We didn't do much of anything at all yesterday.  I was just worn out.  Some days are just so.  John did a load of laundry and hung a few things to dry.  I made meals and kept those simple and easy. Today we played catch up.  Typically we'd drive down on payday to pick up John's check if he's not working  the Tuesday following.  Well he wasn't working today, but we didn't go down yesterday afternoon.  He wanted to cut Sam's grass since Sam's busy with renovations inside the house. John went over yesterday afternoon,  though why he waited until afternoon to do so is beyond me.  It was so terribly hot, with a heat index of 107f.  It's been that way all week long.  It's meant to end here this weekend, though. I lived without AC for years and years.  We had only window units we used occasionally.  The year Sam was born was one year when we used AC all summer long because it was miserably hot from May to September that year.  Real temperatures that year were near 110F.  Between the summer heat and the winter cold we spent much of the year living in just one or two rooms.  That's all we could heat or cool in those years. It was very expensive to run AC in the 1980's and '90s.  When John and I got together and were struggling so we simply could not afford to run the window units though they were brand new.  We ended up compromising.  We turned them on Friday evening when we came in from work and turned them off Sunday night when we went to bed (11pm). It cost us over $300 a month to run it 8 days.   We've never paid that much a month here in the worst of our summers.  We came near it this past autumn when it was freezing and we had to run the emergency heat after our motor went out on the unit.   But all in all, AC is much more affordable than it was 25 years ago and I am so grateful for that! Today we did the payday errands: banking, bills, and groceries.  Not as much work as it sounds  because I have the bills ready to go out days ahead and then I just take them to the mailbox as soon as we do the banking.   John had warned we'd have a shorter check.  We didn't.   It wasn't quite enough to meet all our needs this time around but I'd already planned ahead for that,  so it was easy enough to proceed as planned.  I'll be sure to tell him we're on a no spend from now until next pay period which should see us through this small slump. I did well enough on groceries.  I didn't buy any meat this time around.  I'd looked at chuck roasts but they were very fatty and the one I thought worth purchasing was over $20...Wowza!  I decided I'd just skip it.  I know we've plenty of meat on hand at present. As I put groceries away in the pantry, I suggested to John that we might skip a big grocery shop next pay period and get just dairy and produce as needed.  We have quite a deep pantry at the moment and I saw only two or three items that I wished to stock more heavily, like flour, cereal and coffee.   Again, good sales will  fill those needs. I was thinking this morning that over the years I've found lots of ways to save money. Our mobile phone service is quite reasonable. We pay roughly the same for two phones that we once paid for one landline and one prepaid phone.  At one point our mobile phone company bought out our satellite TV service.  We were able to combine bills and make a small savings.  However, I soon discovered the days of renegotiating our satellite service contract was an exercise in futility with the phone company as boss.  So much for twenty five years of good customer status! Our local phone service internet was abysmal.  It had gotten so that we had no internet service from Friday afternoon at 4pm until Monday morning at 9am.  No we didn't get any discounts for the lack of service.  The company denied there was any problem!  So we moved to a satellite service.  We paid a LOT for that service.  Double what we'd paid for the local service.  However,  it was reliable and we had service we could count on. When our current mobile phone service offered an unlimited data pan  we hopped right on, changed phone plans and got the newly available hot spot.  We dropped internet satellite and saved on new smart phones, buying older models that were heavily discounted, paying cash up front.  That kept our phone bills low.   Smart phones for the same price as a mobile/text service?  Please and thank you! When lightning ran in on our television last August, we bought a Fire TV and in January I finally convinced John to quit satellite.  We dropped the satellite TV service which meant we paid still less out of pocket.  I was already paying for Amazon Prime membership each month, well worth the savings in shipping alone.  We aren't big shoppers, but I guarantee I order something from Amazon every month that is cheaper than I can find it elsewhere and that is covered under the prime free shipping.  We watch pretty much all the television we want to watch with our hot spot.  We did subscribe to Netflix' basic plan.  I am still paying far less for the phone service with unlimited data, Amazon and Netflix than I previously paid for phones, internet and satellite tv services. But for all that some things change, others pretty much stay the same.  We've paid basically the same amount for gasoline each month for the past 20 years.  Some years we drive more and some we drive less.  Our average is always right around the same amount each month for costs though. Groceries is another area that remained fairly stable for a long number of years.  I stopped buying certain items and made more from scratch and yet it's only been in these past two years I've begun to see a significant savings in the grocery spending.   I might add that during this two year period of time I've fed more people and spent less, while previously we spent a good deal more and fed only two.   Now that we're basically feeding just the two of us once more, I've watched my budget amount drop to what is an all time low for us.   Still...I could perhaps save more and I am working on it! Being frugal is never a stagnant and finite thing.  As time goes on, some of those ways I saved are no longer valid.  Eating habits change, income changes, products and promotions leave the market or come on the market. Our needs change.  What is needed in this stage of life is not the same as what was needed previously and won't be the same in five years.  For every new thing that comes along there are new ways to save and manage. Being frugal has never been boring!  And for me, that's what keeps it fun. Thursday:  I had every intent of sharing with you all yesterday but by the time I was done with Mama, I was really and most sincerely done in every sense of the word.  Once Bess and the boys left (and what good medicine they were!), I hadn't even the energy to eat.  I drank a V8 and showered and went off to bed with a book on prayer and fell asleep and slept the bulk of all night long.  Wailing and gnashing of teeth might have occurred in moderation in between that V8 and the shower but it was in extreme moderation. Today is better.   Today I am mindful of my many blessings and mindful of my own ways and words.  As well I ought to be.  Difficult relationships sometimes never cease to be difficult.  But more on that another day and time, perhaps. This morning I greeted John with a proper big breakfast.  Funny thing, we are eating less these days.  I suppose it's partly due to the heat and partly due to the fact that so much of what we choose to eat is just good fresh foods and they fill us amply even when eaten in moderation.  Our 'big' breakfast consisted of Fried egg, grits, toast and turkey sausage.   It is a big breakfast but certainly not one of those mammoth restaurant 'big' sorts of breakfasts. After breakfast I started a loaf of bread.  I'd really meant to get one going yesterday morning when John left as I was sure it would be done by the time I was ready to leave for Mama's, but time slipped away from me as I got all out of routine and did things in far different time frames than usual...which all worked  lovely as I was practically dressed and fully made up by the time Bess and Isaac stopped in to start their laundry.  Quick prayers, everyone, that work on their utility room goes through this weekend and their washer and dryer are up and running once more.  It's hard work lugging loads and loads of clothes from there to here and back again... Mama, as I expected, wanted to go to the big peach packing shed just 20 minutes north of me.  It is a good hour or so from her house...But go we did and I bought a half peck of peaches.  For one thing I meant to share with Bess, and I did.   I will put some in the freezer.  And I want to savor the last of this seasonal fruit because I do love peaches! For some reason the morning flew past.  Quicker than usual.  I'm not real sure why.   Well I do too know why.  John and I had a lot to talk over this morning and to think about and come back to talk over one more time.  I was still finishing up Bible study while our dinner cooked today.  It was one of those lovely Bible study sessions in which each passage of scripture I read today was pertinent to my own thoughts about matters that we'd discussed.   Friday:  The end of another week...They do fly by these days, don't they?   John and I have a lot to consider these days.  There's a possibility that our plans for retirement will be pushed forward from next June to end of this year.  All my plans to save money and stash away all I might as far as non-perishable things will be more modest than I'd been shooting for.  I'm not worried, but it is a little disconcerting.   Still, nothing is yet set in stone and we are at the point where now is as good as later and we'll trust God's timing.  In the end, we must always let go of our plans and rely on Him anyway, as I've discovered more than once. My house is very nearly Shabat ready.   We've no plans for this weekend aside from going to church.  I will have turkey pot pie for tomorrow's dinner which I'll do my best to prep ahead.  I'm debating dessert options.  On the one hand, I think gelatin or pudding would be a nice counter to the hot pot pie, don't you?   I'd love to make a lemon meringue pie but not sure I really want to go to that much work this afternoon when the kitchen is pretty much cleaned for the weekend.  I'll have to think on this.   I  have a Chef Salad for our main meal today.   It was on my menu plan and I find between cheese, a few slivers of turkey and some hard boiled egg we've plenty of protein and fat to satisfy us all afternoon long.  And there's a lovely bit of leftover peach cobbler, though I did make a smaller one yesterday.    And that is my week, full of the expected, and the unexpected, full of the lovely and the difficult, full of promises to keep.   Frugal things: The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so nothing be lost  I mean fragments of time as well as materials...every member of a household should be employed either in earning or saving money. The American Frugal Housewife ~ Lydia Maria Francis Child It's quite hot and the AC is pretty much running non-stop until 10 pm every night and then coming on periodically all through the night and early mornings.  I turned the AC up to 78, not my favorite point as it tends to feel a bit more stuffy, but it at least is one way to save.  I've noted the AC cuts off earlier and stays off a wee bit longer. (This should end as of Tuesday evening this week...Milder temperatures are coming our way.  Hooray!) I'm also being very mindful of running water unnecessarily at present.   This is finally getting to be more and more a habit with me as I have always tended to be the sort who let the water run and run as I rinsed dishes for the dishwasher or brushed my teeth or washed my face.  However, electricity is money and so I am doing my best to be mindful that the pump must run if I must run water. Happily, all the heat keeps generating pop up rain showers so watering plants is not a chore I must attend to.  As for porch and house plants, it's easy enough to 'save' water from bits left in bottles or glasses or that is running while it's cold and I'm needing hot to catch up and use for those.  And if I'm quick, I can often pop a porch planter under the run off from the roof and water plants with rain water. I may be just longing to shop but I know my current season isn't going to be any less tight if I run up a credit card bill, so I'm deleting tempting emails full of sales and waiting a few days before even considering those few purchases that make it into a cart.  So far, nothing has made it from the cart to 'order' because I either forget it or I discover something I can use that I already have or I just make up my mind to go without. I ordered a new phone case and accessory ring  from eBay.  I bought the last case two years ago and it's falling apart.  I tried to remove the ring from the old case but it's a no go.  I even went to  YouTube and I discovered that they don't re-stick once removed.  The new ring  was pennies on the dollar  on eBay for the exact same one I bought for bigger bucks at the phone store last year.  I literally saved enough on the ring to cover the cost of the new case and keep change in my pocket.   In case you're wondering what a phone ring is, it's a ring that you stick to the back of your phone or phone case and  can slide a finger through and  allows you to hold the phone without dropping it.  Dropping my phone is an issue for me, so the ring isn't a vanity thing, it's purely a necessity.  Ditto for the phone case.  I get the shock absorbing sort of case.  Both items will be paid from my allowance. Sunday morning I did a full load of dishes right away after John left for work and then I ran a full load of laundry (sheets and towels).  Everything air dried. John and I combined errands when we went out to shop for groceries. I checked with John about how he liked the bread machine bread I've been making.  He thinks it's great...and so I suggested I make a couple loaves a week, and we supplement with the occasional loaf that we'll keep in the freezer.   Once at the store I decided to buy smaller sized loaves.  Same number of slices per loaf but just a smaller piece of bread overall.  The smaller sized loafs were about $1 cheaper.  With the homemade machine bread we've been eating  half slices. I've given in to buying cookies for John this summer.  It's not worth heating up the kitchen for any period of time to make them...but I told him as soon as it starts to cool off I mean to make more homemade cookies and forgo the bought ones until the Spekulaas cookies are in market once more.  In the meantime, Tammy has inspired me to make a batch of those yummy stovetop chocolate oatmeal cookies.  I'd forgotten those as an oven free option.  John loves those cookies. No meat purchased today, but only because I thought better of it when I priced the nicest chuck roast in the counter.  I had a fair idea of how much meat I had in the freezer at home (not to mention how much is in the fridge at present) and I felt we could by pass that purchase.  I'll watch for good sales on meat in the next few weeks and try to stock up then. I suggested to John it would be worthwhile to return to purchasing chicken breasts and ground beef on special at the organic market we used to visit.  I've noted that the price at the organic market is nearly $2/pound less so it's well worth driving there for the savings. Made a loaf of bread, a small peach cobbler and used up leftover roast beef and gravy to make hash. John hung most of a load of clothes to dry. I washed a full load of dishes in the dishwasher. I've downloaded a few free books for my Kindle.  Most are Christian non-fiction but one was a children's book (never know when that might come in handy!) and Mansfield Park by Jane Austen was free the other day.  I am not going nuts adding books.  I am trying to be thoughtful about what I might truly read and most will be deleted once I'm done but in time I will add books I really want to buy that are cheaper via Kindle and won't take up space on my filled bookcases...Not to say I am done buying hard cover books.  Some friends just deserve a full time home where I can hold them and love them as I read! I've started a 'stock up list'.   So far I've got tissues (for cold and flu season) and cold medicine (ditto from previous), pineapple juice (same), matches, toilet paper, flour, coffee (regular and decaf) and boxed cereal.   I may add more as time goes on but these are items I am very well aware we're very low or empty on.  Oh and candles!  We use them for our Shabats and typically two candles last us a couple or three months but they are awfully handy when power goes out as well so I like to stock up. I've started adding tissues and paper towels to our compost.  And this morning, I decided it was worth while to shred our weekly newspapers as well.  I've been adding shredded mail for quite a while but these are extra items I know I can compost.  I plan to 'grow my compost' so to speak, as I get more and more serious about my need for flowers and perhaps a few vegetables here and there. Meals: So I made my plans...how did that go?   Here's what we really ate this week Roast Beef, Squash, Tossed Salad McDonalds with Katie and Taylor Chicken Verde Enchiladas, Green Salad with Tomatoes and Green Onions Chicken Salad Sandwiches with fresh fruit (take out) Chicken Livers and Fries with Mama Roast Beef Hash, Sliced Tomato Salad with Basil, Peach Cobbler Chef's Salad, Oyster Crackers (something we often sub for croutons), Peach Cobbler (C) Terri Cheney

Agilenano - News from Agilenano from shopsnetwork (4 sites) https://agilenano.com/blogs/news/august-diary-promises-im-making-myself

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Arplis - News: August Diary: Promises I'm Making Myself

Saturday:  It's late in Shabat, just two hours more to have the full extent of the day of rest.  Today began early.  I stepped out on the porch to feed the pets and looked at the sun rising and sang "Shema".   That I remember the Hebrew after all these years away from synagogue, that these words come easily still at the sight of daybreak, astounds me: Shema, Israel, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad. Hear O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One... It was a hurry up sort of morning, but the wonder of God was  there on the front porch this morning.  I felt reverent as I went about the rest of my morning preparations. Katie and I went to pick up Taylor.  Over the hills and through the woods and past meadows shining in the golden morning light and alongside fields of freshly mown hay with bales scattered here and there.  Over creeks flowing over rocks and rivers slowly moving along sandy beds.  And everywhere the golden rod standing high, the mallow stems heavy with buds, foxtail grass dancing in the air currents, and trees with autumn hues already tinging the leaves scattered amongst the pines.   My heart ached and swelled as each new sight came into view, singing a song of both joy and grief, as I see the signs of one season passing into another.  I have learned to find something lovely and beautiful in every season of the year rather than claim just one as my favorite.  And so I must grieve the loss of one and rejoice in the other. Bonus of this road trip today was being in near proximity to a well known peach shed which blissfully was packed with traffic, a sure sign they had peaches still.  I passed a little tent with a table laden with little yellow squash and red ripe tomatoes.  My mouth watered.   On our way back to the house, when time was not quite the premium thing it was on the trip up,  I stopped and bought a big basket of peaches. I didn't even ask the price.  I got heavy red ripe tomatoes big enough to fill my hand.  I filled a sack with tender little yellow summer squash.   I didn't care about my financial state just at that moment.  I cared about savoring the remaining days of summer and it's lovely fruitful state. And in the end, it's all part and parcel of the grocery budget which renews on Monday anyway.  I'll borrow now and cut back later. I asked how much longer they might have peaches.  "We hope we can stay open until next weekend."  One week...Just one week more and then we're done with peaches for the next 10 months.  I haven't eaten nearly enough of them.  I've made just one cobbler all summer long.  I promise that next year I shall eat my fill, I shall make cobblers galore, I will.... We came home and I cut up the squash with one of the last Vidalia onions into a frying pan and then added 1/4 cup of water, covered them and let them steam gently.  I made a salad with half a tomato diced finely over it.  "I've not even had a single fresh tomato sandwich..." I said, as I sprinkled those lovely red bits over the green lettuce.  "I promise I shall have at least one this week and next year..." Oh, next year! We had a lovely visit after dinner with Taylor and Katie.  Taylor wanted purple nails "with glitter...which we do NOT eat!"   Sometimes a child does hint at some corrected behavior don't they?  I imagined her with a mouth sparkled with glitter at her nursery school and a sparkling tongue and giggles before the teacher noticed... So I did her nails and then on a whim, I used the glittery polish to coat my own nails.  I'm too old for glitter...but I think it looks magical in the light.   Didn't I promise myself to do my fingernails more often?  Oh! one more promise I really need to keep! Taylor asked about the little cats on the bookshelf.  "One day," I told her, "they shall be yours...because my grandmother gave them to me and I would like to give them to you,  my granddaughter."   Not that Taylor's my only granddaughter, I have four more but somehow I know that Taylor is the one these cats belong to.   It feels odd to be thinking of little legacies such as this, but I told Katie and John, "Listen to me.  Be my witnesses. This is my promise:  these cats will be Taylor's and if I die before I gift them to her, be sure that she gets them...and the little girl with a book will be Hailey's." Taylor crawled into my lap and leaned on my shoulder.  "I love you..."  Oh my heart!  How blessed I am to know the very genuine love of these children of my children.  How very blessed! John took Katie and Taylor home to Katie's a little later.   I sat here in the quiet, with my thoughts whispering all about me.  Tired and happy and mindful of things I want to hold tight to and mindful that none of these endless days of housework, no matter how satisfying the work may be, will be the things I remember most.  It will indeed be the taste of a sun ripened peach grown in Georgia soil, the feel of a little girl's head on my shoulder, the way a good ripe tomato smells and summer squash tastes, and how lovely a meadow is in sunlight of a dewy morning.  It will be those things which I shall remember and it makes keeping these promises to myself imperative. John has stepped out on the 'verandah' as he chooses to call the front porch and the wind is blowing hot and heavy and ringing the old iron chimes.  Ting, ting, ting, ting...Deeper than most windchimes.   I confess I'm more fond of middle and deeper tones than the tinkly sorts of chimes.  These please me. It takes a real wind to stir those bells to life.  In the distance, coming ever nearer, thunder rumbles.   Summer's music...Please Lord, make me mindful of my promises to keep! Sunday:  There are sheets and towels on the line and peach cobbler cooling atop the stove.  Not for us that cobbler but for Taylor's daddy.  The house about me is clean and quiet just now.  Here in a little bit I shall head over to Katie's to visit with them for a little while before Taylor begins her journey home. I sent John off to work this morning and tackled housework right away though I was tired and thought longingly of going back to my bed.  But not today.  Today there are sheets to blow in the sunlight and a house to put to order and a child to spend time loving. I think John is feeling the pull of the seasonal change.  He's asked me to make a turkey pot pie this week and I've promised I shall.   He wants Roast beef hash, too...and he'll have that as well, but it amuses me that he's wanting these comforting cooler weather sorts of foods.  I've told you before that summer salads do pall for us after a bit.   We'll have a few more despite these longings of ours for cozy meals.   A chef salad will be a quick and easy meal after grocery shopping this week...and I find myself suddenly making up menus for the week ahead, something I'd let drop for a bit because I was just flat tired of planning.  However, between leftovers and requests I guess I've got this week pretty much covered...Now let's see how many of these meals I actually get to make.  The roast beef meal we had on Saturday and the enchiladas were thawed on Friday when John had said we'd skip the date then got that second wind in his sails and wanted to go out after all. The roast beef is in the fridge... Everything else is frozen at present or is fresh and ready to prepare. Roast Beef, Summer Squash and Onions, Tossed Salad, Matzoh Cracker Candy Chicken Verde Enchiladas, Yellow Rice and Peach Salsa Roast Beef Hash, Wedge Salads with Thousand Island Dressing on my own  out with Mama Chef's Salad, Homemade Croutons, Peach Cobbler (for us) Turkey Pot Pie, Cranberry Sauce, Pear Salads And there's my menu plan! Speaking of food: one of the frugal articles I read last week dealt with grocery spending.  She cited the USDA government site  where you can see what food costs were for the prior month and how much one following the thrifty or low cost plans might be spending.  And then she suggested that financial advisors suggest 6% of our annual income is what we ought to spend.  As nearly as I recall how to figure percentages our spending should be something like $61 a week for the two of us.  Now  that's only for food.  It does not include pet supplies, paper or cleaning products etc.   It is also a good deal less than the government's food plan figures for a thrifty diet.  According to their figures in June we would have been spending about $84/per week.  I actually think I came in right around there  with a few paper products and one or two pet items tossed in but those would not account for more than $11 so I'm still nowhere near the 6% mark.  It does give me food for thought.  I was so proud of trimming my budget to $300 a month...But could I possibly hit closer to $244?   I'm pretty sure my husband would rebel hard at that but I'm tempted to try it just the same.  And of course, once we do retire, our 6% would also be a good bit less than $244...so I feel I owe it to myself to try and trim things back a bit more.   I'll let you know! Now off I go to unload the dishwasher and finish my bit of housework. Monday:  More tired and weary than I'd thought I'd be today...I didn't plan a day of mostly rest, but there you are.  I realized this morning that I basically did the equivalent of a drive to Kingsland and back with a brief stay to visit...but 8 hours of driving!  I felt it this morning. Thankfully only light housework was needed and dinner was pretty much ready.  I am reheating Chicken Enchiladas and have a salad made.  I'd meant to have peach salsa  with this meal but it's more effort than I want to go to today. John and I have been watching an interesting series of videos where the YouTubers go to visit old graveyards along back roads here in Georgia, some of them which are severely neglected.  I think it's made us both aware of the graveyard back of our house.  It is not on my property but just over the fence line.  Granny and Granddaddy always maintained the graveyard and when my cousin bought the land, so did he.  However, when it fell into my brother's hands it was no longer kept up.  I'd asked to take it on with his permission and he agreed but then he wired all the entrances shut with barbed wire so that I couldn't get into the area.  Now that Sam owns the land, I think I can get to it once more, but ten years of neglect means that it's now snaky and heavily overgrown. It is my hope that we can reclaim the space and maintain it once more but both Sam and John feel the graveyard is just too far gone.  However, come cold weather I shall go there and begin to do what I might.  Another  of my 'small bites' projects.  I feel sure if I start it Sam and John will eventually have pity on me and join in... The graveyard was not a family ground.  It belonged to a huge old Federal house that sat on the hill before ours.  This land was likely part of that original land grant but I haven't yet researched it out to prove that fact.   Still, I do know the people buried near my home were once residents there.  I would like to do my part in preserving a little bit of history, especially since the house burned down 30 odd years ago. Another promise I shall make this week: reclaim the graveyard and give it it's proper care. Tuesday:  We didn't do much of anything at all yesterday.  I was just worn out.  Some days are just so.  John did a load of laundry and hung a few things to dry.  I made meals and kept those simple and easy. Today we played catch up.  Typically we'd drive down on payday to pick up John's check if he's not working  the Tuesday following.  Well he wasn't working today, but we didn't go down yesterday afternoon.  He wanted to cut Sam's grass since Sam's busy with renovations inside the house. John went over yesterday afternoon,  though why he waited until afternoon to do so is beyond me.  It was so terribly hot, with a heat index of 107f.  It's been that way all week long.  It's meant to end here this weekend, though. I lived without AC for years and years.  We had only window units we used occasionally.  The year Sam was born was one year when we used AC all summer long because it was miserably hot from May to September that year.  Real temperatures that year were near 110F.  Between the summer heat and the winter cold we spent much of the year living in just one or two rooms.  That's all we could heat or cool in those years. It was very expensive to run AC in the 1980's and '90s.  When John and I got together and were struggling so we simply could not afford to run the window units though they were brand new.  We ended up compromising.  We turned them on Friday evening when we came in from work and turned them off Sunday night when we went to bed (11pm). It cost us over $300 a month to run it 8 days.   We've never paid that much a month here in the worst of our summers.  We came near it this past autumn when it was freezing and we had to run the emergency heat after our motor went out on the unit.   But all in all, AC is much more affordable than it was 25 years ago and I am so grateful for that! Today we did the payday errands: banking, bills, and groceries.  Not as much work as it sounds  because I have the bills ready to go out days ahead and then I just take them to the mailbox as soon as we do the banking.   John had warned we'd have a shorter check.  We didn't.   It wasn't quite enough to meet all our needs this time around but I'd already planned ahead for that,  so it was easy enough to proceed as planned.  I'll be sure to tell him we're on a no spend from now until next pay period which should see us through this small slump. I did well enough on groceries.  I didn't buy any meat this time around.  I'd looked at chuck roasts but they were very fatty and the one I thought worth purchasing was over $20...Wowza!  I decided I'd just skip it.  I know we've plenty of meat on hand at present. As I put groceries away in the pantry, I suggested to John that we might skip a big grocery shop next pay period and get just dairy and produce as needed.  We have quite a deep pantry at the moment and I saw only two or three items that I wished to stock more heavily, like flour, cereal and coffee.   Again, good sales will  fill those needs. I was thinking this morning that over the years I've found lots of ways to save money. Our mobile phone service is quite reasonable. We pay roughly the same for two phones that we once paid for one landline and one prepaid phone.  At one point our mobile phone company bought out our satellite TV service.  We were able to combine bills and make a small savings.  However, I soon discovered the days of renegotiating our satellite service contract was an exercise in futility with the phone company as boss.  So much for twenty five years of good customer status! Our local phone service internet was abysmal.  It had gotten so that we had no internet service from Friday afternoon at 4pm until Monday morning at 9am.  No we didn't get any discounts for the lack of service.  The company denied there was any problem!  So we moved to a satellite service.  We paid a LOT for that service.  Double what we'd paid for the local service.  However,  it was reliable and we had service we could count on. When our current mobile phone service offered an unlimited data pan  we hopped right on, changed phone plans and got the newly available hot spot.  We dropped internet satellite and saved on new smart phones, buying older models that were heavily discounted, paying cash up front.  That kept our phone bills low.   Smart phones for the same price as a mobile/text service?  Please and thank you! When lightning ran in on our television last August, we bought a Fire TV and in January I finally convinced John to quit satellite.  We dropped the satellite TV service which meant we paid still less out of pocket.  I was already paying for Amazon Prime membership each month, well worth the savings in shipping alone.  We aren't big shoppers, but I guarantee I order something from Amazon every month that is cheaper than I can find it elsewhere and that is covered under the prime free shipping.  We watch pretty much all the television we want to watch with our hot spot.  We did subscribe to Netflix' basic plan.  I am still paying far less for the phone service with unlimited data, Amazon and Netflix than I previously paid for phones, internet and satellite tv services. But for all that some things change, others pretty much stay the same.  We've paid basically the same amount for gasoline each month for the past 20 years.  Some years we drive more and some we drive less.  Our average is always right around the same amount each month for costs though. Groceries is another area that remained fairly stable for a long number of years.  I stopped buying certain items and made more from scratch and yet it's only been in these past two years I've begun to see a significant savings in the grocery spending.   I might add that during this two year period of time I've fed more people and spent less, while previously we spent a good deal more and fed only two.   Now that we're basically feeding just the two of us once more, I've watched my budget amount drop to what is an all time low for us.   Still...I could perhaps save more and I am working on it! Being frugal is never a stagnant and finite thing.  As time goes on, some of those ways I saved are no longer valid.  Eating habits change, income changes, products and promotions leave the market or come on the market. Our needs change.  What is needed in this stage of life is not the same as what was needed previously and won't be the same in five years.  For every new thing that comes along there are new ways to save and manage. Being frugal has never been boring!  And for me, that's what keeps it fun. Thursday:  I had every intent of sharing with you all yesterday but by the time I was done with Mama, I was really and most sincerely done in every sense of the word.  Once Bess and the boys left (and what good medicine they were!), I hadn't even the energy to eat.  I drank a V8 and showered and went off to bed with a book on prayer and fell asleep and slept the bulk of all night long.  Wailing and gnashing of teeth might have occurred in moderation in between that V8 and the shower but it was in extreme moderation. Today is better.   Today I am mindful of my many blessings and mindful of my own ways and words.  As well I ought to be.  Difficult relationships sometimes never cease to be difficult.  But more on that another day and time, perhaps. This morning I greeted John with a proper big breakfast.  Funny thing, we are eating less these days.  I suppose it's partly due to the heat and partly due to the fact that so much of what we choose to eat is just good fresh foods and they fill us amply even when eaten in moderation.  Our 'big' breakfast consisted of Fried egg, grits, toast and turkey sausage.   It is a big breakfast but certainly not one of those mammoth restaurant 'big' sorts of breakfasts. After breakfast I started a loaf of bread.  I'd really meant to get one going yesterday morning when John left as I was sure it would be done by the time I was ready to leave for Mama's, but time slipped away from me as I got all out of routine and did things in far different time frames than usual...which all worked  lovely as I was practically dressed and fully made up by the time Bess and Isaac stopped in to start their laundry.  Quick prayers, everyone, that work on their utility room goes through this weekend and their washer and dryer are up and running once more.  It's hard work lugging loads and loads of clothes from there to here and back again... Mama, as I expected, wanted to go to the big peach packing shed just 20 minutes north of me.  It is a good hour or so from her house...But go we did and I bought a half peck of peaches.  For one thing I meant to share with Bess, and I did.   I will put some in the freezer.  And I want to savor the last of this seasonal fruit because I do love peaches! For some reason the morning flew past.  Quicker than usual.  I'm not real sure why.   Well I do too know why.  John and I had a lot to talk over this morning and to think about and come back to talk over one more time.  I was still finishing up Bible study while our dinner cooked today.  It was one of those lovely Bible study sessions in which each passage of scripture I read today was pertinent to my own thoughts about matters that we'd discussed.   Friday:  The end of another week...They do fly by these days, don't they?   John and I have a lot to consider these days.  There's a possibility that our plans for retirement will be pushed forward from next June to end of this year.  All my plans to save money and stash away all I might as far as non-perishable things will be more modest than I'd been shooting for.  I'm not worried, but it is a little disconcerting.   Still, nothing is yet set in stone and we are at the point where now is as good as later and we'll trust God's timing.  In the end, we must always let go of our plans and rely on Him anyway, as I've discovered more than once. My house is very nearly Shabat ready.   We've no plans for this weekend aside from going to church.  I will have turkey pot pie for tomorrow's dinner which I'll do my best to prep ahead.  I'm debating dessert options.  On the one hand, I think gelatin or pudding would be a nice counter to the hot pot pie, don't you?   I'd love to make a lemon meringue pie but not sure I really want to go to that much work this afternoon when the kitchen is pretty much cleaned for the weekend.  I'll have to think on this.   I  have a Chef Salad for our main meal today.   It was on my menu plan and I find between cheese, a few slivers of turkey and some hard boiled egg we've plenty of protein and fat to satisfy us all afternoon long.  And there's a lovely bit of leftover peach cobbler, though I did make a smaller one yesterday.    And that is my week, full of the expected, and the unexpected, full of the lovely and the difficult, full of promises to keep.   Frugal things: The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so nothing be lost  I mean fragments of time as well as materials...every member of a household should be employed either in earning or saving money. The American Frugal Housewife ~ Lydia Maria Francis Child It's quite hot and the AC is pretty much running non-stop until 10 pm every night and then coming on periodically all through the night and early mornings.  I turned the AC up to 78, not my favorite point as it tends to feel a bit more stuffy, but it at least is one way to save.  I've noted the AC cuts off earlier and stays off a wee bit longer. (This should end as of Tuesday evening this week...Milder temperatures are coming our way.  Hooray!) I'm also being very mindful of running water unnecessarily at present.   This is finally getting to be more and more a habit with me as I have always tended to be the sort who let the water run and run as I rinsed dishes for the dishwasher or brushed my teeth or washed my face.  However, electricity is money and so I am doing my best to be mindful that the pump must run if I must run water. Happily, all the heat keeps generating pop up rain showers so watering plants is not a chore I must attend to.  As for porch and house plants, it's easy enough to 'save' water from bits left in bottles or glasses or that is running while it's cold and I'm needing hot to catch up and use for those.  And if I'm quick, I can often pop a porch planter under the run off from the roof and water plants with rain water. I may be just longing to shop but I know my current season isn't going to be any less tight if I run up a credit card bill, so I'm deleting tempting emails full of sales and waiting a few days before even considering those few purchases that make it into a cart.  So far, nothing has made it from the cart to 'order' because I either forget it or I discover something I can use that I already have or I just make up my mind to go without. I ordered a new phone case and accessory ring  from eBay.  I bought the last case two years ago and it's falling apart.  I tried to remove the ring from the old case but it's a no go.  I even went to  YouTube and I discovered that they don't re-stick once removed.  The new ring  was pennies on the dollar  on eBay for the exact same one I bought for bigger bucks at the phone store last year.  I literally saved enough on the ring to cover the cost of the new case and keep change in my pocket.   In case you're wondering what a phone ring is, it's a ring that you stick to the back of your phone or phone case and  can slide a finger through and  allows you to hold the phone without dropping it.  Dropping my phone is an issue for me, so the ring isn't a vanity thing, it's purely a necessity.  Ditto for the phone case.  I get the shock absorbing sort of case.  Both items will be paid from my allowance. Sunday morning I did a full load of dishes right away after John left for work and then I ran a full load of laundry (sheets and towels).  Everything air dried. John and I combined errands when we went out to shop for groceries. I checked with John about how he liked the bread machine bread I've been making.  He thinks it's great...and so I suggested I make a couple loaves a week, and we supplement with the occasional loaf that we'll keep in the freezer.   Once at the store I decided to buy smaller sized loaves.  Same number of slices per loaf but just a smaller piece of bread overall.  The smaller sized loafs were about $1 cheaper.  With the homemade machine bread we've been eating  half slices. I've given in to buying cookies for John this summer.  It's not worth heating up the kitchen for any period of time to make them...but I told him as soon as it starts to cool off I mean to make more homemade cookies and forgo the bought ones until the Spekulaas cookies are in market once more.  In the meantime, Tammy has inspired me to make a batch of those yummy stovetop chocolate oatmeal cookies.  I'd forgotten those as an oven free option.  John loves those cookies. No meat purchased today, but only because I thought better of it when I priced the nicest chuck roast in the counter.  I had a fair idea of how much meat I had in the freezer at home (not to mention how much is in the fridge at present) and I felt we could by pass that purchase.  I'll watch for good sales on meat in the next few weeks and try to stock up then. I suggested to John it would be worthwhile to return to purchasing chicken breasts and ground beef on special at the organic market we used to visit.  I've noted that the price at the organic market is nearly $2/pound less so it's well worth driving there for the savings. Made a loaf of bread, a small peach cobbler and used up leftover roast beef and gravy to make hash. John hung most of a load of clothes to dry. I washed a full load of dishes in the dishwasher. I've downloaded a few free books for my Kindle.  Most are Christian non-fiction but one was a children's book (never know when that might come in handy!) and Mansfield Park by Jane Austen was free the other day.  I am not going nuts adding books.  I am trying to be thoughtful about what I might truly read and most will be deleted once I'm done but in time I will add books I really want to buy that are cheaper via Kindle and won't take up space on my filled bookcases...Not to say I am done buying hard cover books.  Some friends just deserve a full time home where I can hold them and love them as I read! I've started a 'stock up list'.   So far I've got tissues (for cold and flu season) and cold medicine (ditto from previous), pineapple juice (same), matches, toilet paper, flour, coffee (regular and decaf) and boxed cereal.   I may add more as time goes on but these are items I am very well aware we're very low or empty on.  Oh and candles!  We use them for our Shabats and typically two candles last us a couple or three months but they are awfully handy when power goes out as well so I like to stock up. I've started adding tissues and paper towels to our compost.  And this morning, I decided it was worth while to shred our weekly newspapers as well.  I've been adding shredded mail for quite a while but these are extra items I know I can compost.  I plan to 'grow my compost' so to speak, as I get more and more serious about my need for flowers and perhaps a few vegetables here and there. Meals: So I made my plans...how did that go?   Here's what we really ate this week Roast Beef, Squash, Tossed Salad McDonalds with Katie and Taylor Chicken Verde Enchiladas, Green Salad with Tomatoes and Green Onions Chicken Salad Sandwiches with fresh fruit (take out) Chicken Livers and Fries with Mama Roast Beef Hash, Sliced Tomato Salad with Basil, Peach Cobbler Chef's Salad, Oyster Crackers (something we often sub for croutons), Peach Cobbler (C) Terri Cheney

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/august-diary-promises-im-making-myself

[winter-gale]

Sabbat Information

Yule- 21. Dezember - Holly Jolly Christmas Celtic Painting Traditional Colors: Blues Silvers Whites Reds Green Gold Symbolism: rebirth, transformation, new life, light, new beginnings, giving, merriment Symbols: evergreens, holly, mistletoe, poinsettias, lights, Yule Log, wreaths, bells, gifts, stars, sun, snow, ornaments, garland, Santa Claus, reindeer Colors: red, green, gold, silver, white Food and Drink: wassail, cider, nuts, apples, pears, fruitcake, cookies, eggnog, mulled wine, ham, turkey, lamb, breads, cakes Herbs: holly, mistletoe, pine, oak, fir, birch, hazel, sandalwood, ivy, comfrey, myrrh, frankincense, wintergreen, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, elder, spruce, cedar, balsam, thistle, sage, juniper, moss, bay, rosemary Deities: Mary, Holda, Isis, Ops, Hertha, Frey, Eve, Saturn, Cronos, Horus/Ra, Balder, Santa Claus, Odin, Holly King, Old Man Winter Crystals and Gemstones: cat's eye, diamond, ruby, garnet, bloodstone, clear quartz, pearls, green tourmaline, citrine, alexandrite Animals: bull, goat, reindeer, stag, wren, robin, elf Magic: Being the time of rebirth, this is a great time to remove anything that holds us back and to sow the seeds for the upcoming year. Success spells are best cast this evening. Many people also perform blessings, not only for themselves and their families, but for others as well. Cleansing your home and altar and banishing negativity can also be done this night. Whatever you do, make sure your heart is filled with peace, love, and joy and work magic to bring merriment to others. Please note this is not a complete list but a brief overview of symbols, colors, herbs, deities, and the like. _______ Imbolc - 2. February - "Life is Universal" pronounced "Ee-molc" Use some soft white polyfill (the snowy looking fabric) for around the altar to represent the snow. Symbolism: rebirth, purity, new life, light, new beginnings, warmth, growth, renewal, rejuvenation Symbols: candles, daffodils, lanterns, acorns, fire, Brigid's cross, acorns, brooms, corn dolls, sun wheels Colors: white, silver, pale yellow, red, pink, orange, lavender, light green Food and Drink: bread, cake, milk, spiced wine, cheese, yogurt, herbal teas, fish, white meat, honey cake, muffins Herbs: angelica, basil, bay, blackberry, chamomile, rosemary, heather, rowan, dill, myrrh, willow Deities: Cernunnos, Eros, Osiris, Pan, Athena, Bast, Blaize, Brigid, Ceres, Cerridwen, Venus, Gaia, Demeter, Hestia, Vesta, Cupid Crystals and Gemstones: amethyst, bloodstone, ruby, turquoise, garnet, onyx Animals: groundhog, bear, ewe, lamb, stag, robin, owl, dragons, phoenix Magic: This is the time of awakening as the Wheel turns toward spring. Out with the old and in with the new. Cleansing magic, home blessings, divination, initiation rituals, fertility magic, and self-discovery rituals are perfect for this Sabbat. Rid your home of stale energy left over from the cold winter. Light candles and hold a bonfire to call forth the Sun and honor the Earth. Search for signs foretelling of spring (think Groundhog's Day). Please note this is not a complete list but a brief overview of symbols, colors, herbs, deities, and the like. _______ Ostara on 21. March - Butterfly Triquetra Symbolism: rebirth, new life, new beginnings, resurrection, fertility, balance, youth Symbols: rabbits, bunnies, eggs, chicks, daffodils, tulips, baskets, sprouts, lambs, ribbons, butterflies, bees Colors: pastel green, yellow, and pink, gold, grass green, robin's egg blue, red Food and Drink: hard-boiled eggs, devilled eggs, honey cakes, dairy, leafy green vegetables, flower dishes, sprouts, fish, hot cross buns, sweet breads, milk, chocolate, jelly beans/eggs, lemonade, fresh fruit Herbs: acorn, celandine, crocus, daffodil, dogwood, Easter lily, ginger, hyssop, linden, honeysuckle, iris, jasmine, narcissus, peony, rose, violets, woodruff, forsythia, spring flowers Deities: Eostre, Ostara, Aphrodite, Athena, Cybele, Gaia, Isis, Persephone, Venus, Maiden, Pan, Cernunnous, Green Man, Adonis, Mars, Osiris, Thoth Crystals and Gemstones: amethyst, aquamarine, rose quartz, moonstone, bloodstone, red jasper Animals: rabbits, hares, chicks, robins, lambs, snakes, unicorns, dragons Magic: Ostara is the Sabbat of new beginnings and life. Fertility magic (especially through the use of eggs) and garden and seed blessings are commonly performed during this time. Use this Sabbat to perform magic to break away barriers, start new projects or inventions, and breathe new life into your home and garden. This is also a great time to celebrate balance as day and night are equal on this day. Color eggs to attract different things such as love, fertility, wealth, and prosperity. Please note this is not a complete list but a brief overview of symbols, colors, herbs, deities, and the like. _______ Beltane on 1. May- Celt at Arms Painting Fire can be used in form of candles Symbols: Eggs; Flowers; Chalice; May Pole; Butter churn; Chaplet; Baskets; Crossroads; Strings of beads; Ribbons Color Correspondences : Greens, yellows, reds, purples, blues Food and Drink Correspondences : all red fruits, green salads, red or pink wine punch, round oatmeal or barley cakes, dairy foods Herbs: almond, angelica, ash tree, bluebells, cinquefoil, daisy, frankincense, hawthorn, ivy, lilac, marigold, meadowsweet, primrose, roses, yellow cowslips Deities: Bast, Faunus, Flora, Maia,Aphrodite, Arianrhod, Artemis, Astarte, Venus, Diana, Ariel, Var, Skadi, Sheila-na-Gig, Cybele, Xochiquetzal, Freya, and Rhiannon, Apollo, Bacchus, Bel/Belanos, Cernunnos, Pan, Herne, Faunus, Cupid/Eros, Odin, Orion, Frey, Robin Goodfellow, Puck, and The Great Horned God Crystals and Gemstones: emerald, orange carnelian, sapphire, rose quartz Animals: Swallow, dove, swan, Cats, lynx, leopard, goats, rabbits, and honey bees Mythical beasts associated with Beltane include faeries, Pegasus, satyrs, and giants. _______ Litha- 21. June- Phoenix Sun Wheel Symbolism: life, fire, rebirth, transformation, power, purity Symbols: sun flowers, leaves, sword, spear, sun, God's eye, sun wheels, bonfire, balefires, fire, sun dials, bird feathers, seashells, Colors: red, gold, orange, yellow, white, green, blue Food and Drink: mead, ale, summer fruits and vegetables, strawberries, honey cakes, whipped cream, oranges, lemons, summer squash, honey Herbs: Saint John's Wort, lavender, rose, peony, vervain, mugwort, chamomile, chickweed, chicory, sun flower, lily, thyme, hemp, fennel, nettle, wisteria, rue, fern, heather, oak, yarrow, holly Deities: Ra, Bast, Helios, Oak King, Fortuna, Arinna, and other sun god. Crystals and Gemstones: Lapis, diamond, tiger's eye, emerald, jade, and other green stones Animals: butterflies, wren, horse, stag, robin, cattle, phoenix, dragon, faeries, satyrs Magic: Litha is the time to celebrate the Sun and all that he provides for us. Protection spells and fire magic are great to perform on this night. Make protective amulets to be empowered in the balefire lit on Midsummer's eve. Looking to promote a transformation, a new career, or create a new or strengthen an old relationship? Litha is a great night to perform such magic. Collect herbs, especially St. John's Wort, on the eve of this Sabbat to bring luck and enhance the herbs' power. Renew your wedding vows or just enjoy the time with your friends and family. This is also a great time to communicate with faeries and seek their help if you so wish. Be careful though. Faeries can be tricky. Please note this is not a complete list but a brief overview of symbols, colors, herbs, deities, and the like._______ Lammas (Lughnasadh) on 1. August - Crows in Pumpkin Patch Traditional Colors: Yellows Oranges Reds Browns Greens Symbolism: fruitfulness, reaping, prosperity, abundance, purification, transformation, change, plenty, life, birth Symbols: corn (fresh or dried), corn dolls, sun flowers, wheat stalks, threshing tools such as sickle and scythe, barley, oats, candles, cornucopias, gourds, sun wheels, bread, cauldrons Colors: gold, yellow, orange, light brown, bronze, green Food and Drink: wheat, barley, rye, oats, grains, corn, bread, honey, nuts, berries (especially blackberries), cider, red wine, fresh fruits and vegetables, pies and cobblers, jam, potatoes, cornbread, ale, beer, whiskey, mead, grapes Herbs: heather, goldenrod, peony, clover, yarrow, vervain, myrtle, rose, sunflower, poppy, mushrooms, garlic, onion, basil, apple leaf, hops, marigold, grape vine, ivy, rosemary, rose hips, blackthorn Deities: Lugh, Corn Grandmother, Vulcan, Dagon, Ceres, Isis, Dana, Tammuz, Seelu, Tailltiu Crystals and Gemstones: yellow aventurine, peridot, citrine, tiger's eye, lodestone, golden topaz, moss agate, obsidian, marble, lodestone Animals: roosters, calves, griffins, phoenix, centaurs, pigs Magic: This is a great time for hearth and home magic. Set up protection spells, cleanse the home, honor ancestors, and thank the Earth for her bountiful harvest. Please note this is not a complete list but a brief overview of symbols, colors, herbs, deities, and the like. _______ Mabon - 21. September- Forest of Crows Traditional Colors: Browns Yellows Oranges Reds Symbolism: fruitfulness, reaping, prosperity, abundance, thankfulness, giving, kinship, protection, harmony, balance Symbols: apples, acorns, wine, pine cones, gourds, grapes, grains, dried seeds and leaves, vines, horns, scythes, sickles, squash Colors: red, maroon, gold, brown, yellow, scarlet, purple, blue, violet, indigo, orange, autumn colors Food and Drink: apples, dried fruits, nuts, squash, pomegranates, breads, grains, seeds, potatoes, carrots, onions, wine, grapes, cornbread, beans, mutton, ale, cider Herbs: ferns, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, myrrh, pine, rose, sage, tobacco, thistle, wheat, barley, oats, aster, mums, oak, hops, cedar Deities: Mabon, Morgan, Epona, Persephone, Thoth, Thor, The Green Man, Demeter/Ceres, the Muses, the Wicker-man, Bacchus, Dionysus Crystals and Gemstones: yellow agate, lapis lazuli, sapphire Animals: dogs, wolves, goat, stag, blackbird, owls and birds of prey, gnomes, Sphinx Magic: This is a great time for hearth and home magic, especially for placing wards around your home. Working spells to bring harmony and peace to the home are especially powerful on Mabon. Giving thanks to the Earth and celebrating kinship is the theme of this Sabbat, so spend this time giving to others and reflecting on what you have to be thankful for. Please note this is not a complete list but a brief overview of symbols, colors, herbs, deities, and the like. _______ Samhain 31. Oktober- Samhain Painting Traditional Colors: Browns Yellows Oranges Symbolism: death and regeneration, transformation, end of old projects, new beginnings, return, change, rest, success, plenty, knowledge Symbols: skulls, bats, cats, leaves, nuts, seeds, barren trees and branches, pumpkins, cauldron, pentacle, crystal ball, besom or broom, witch's hat, moon, crows/ravens, ghosts, goblins, banshees, candy/caramel apples, chocolate, Jack-o-Lanterns, costumes, Trick-or-Treats, Death, acorns, bones, gourds, scarecrows Colors: black, orange, red, silver, gold, brown, purple, yellow Food and Drink: apples, cider, pork, hazelnuts, pomegranates, pumpkins, potatoes, squash, cranberries, turnips, beats, mugwort tea, ale, mulled wine, pies/cakes for the dead Herbs: apple leaf, almonds, bay leaf, nettle, hemlock, cloves, cinnamon, mandrake root, marigold, mums, mugwort, pine, rosemary, sage, wormwood, tarragon, rue, garlic, ginger, hazelnut, allspice Deities: Hekate, The Crone, Cerridwen, Bast, Persephone, Horned Hunter, Cernnunos, Osiris, Hades, Anubis, Loki, Arawn, Dis, and any other death/underworld god or goddess Crystals and Gemstones: black obsidian, jasper, onyx, bloodstone, smoky quartz, carnelian, Animals: cats, especially black cats, bats, spiders, rats, wolves, snakes, ravens and crows, owls, stags, jackals, scorpions Magic: This is the time to honor the dead. Set up an altar, serve them cakes, and let them know they are not forgotten. If you wish to communicate with deceased friends and family, this is the best time of year. The veil thins the night of Samhain, making communication easy. Do NOT, however, entice spirits, disrespect them, call demons, or perform any other magic that is anything less than respectful. I repeat, don't do it. Samhain is also a great time to practice divination in the form of runes, scrying, tarot, tea readings, etc. Reflect over the previous year and perform blessing spells to ring in the new year. Astral projection and lucid dreaming is also much easier to perform on this night, but remember to be safe, Banishing magic, especially those for bad habits, are especially strong on this night. Please note this is not a complete list but a brief overview of symbols, colors, herbs, deities, and the like. _______

[ellismorris0]

Vodka & Gin Concepts for Your Subsequent Wintry weather Cocktail

Wintry weather isn’t coming. Wintry weather is right here (a minimum of within the northern hemisphere)! Since spirits are our industry, we’d love to counsel a couple of spirits to your wintry weather cocktail wishes. There are many wintry weather elements that lend a hand to make the season vivid. Piney flavors of Douglas Fir, vivid wintry weather oranges and tart cranberries all recall to mind the wintry weather season. Listed here are six vodka and gin choices with some ideas to your subsequent wintry weather cocktail introduction. Please be aware, costs indexed are reasonable retail costs in america.

Vodka

Grey Goose La Poire

Los angeles Poire first introduced in 2007. The very important oils of pears together with Anjou pear are added to Gray Goose’s same old wintry weather wheat-based vodka. Take a look at the usage of Los angeles Poire as a substitute of unflavored vodka to your subsequent Moscow Mule. Or, even higher, kick up your heat apple cider with somewhat splash.

Value: $27.

Gray Goose Los angeles Poire / Photograph Credit score: Gray Goose

Deep Eddy Cranberry

Deep Eddy got here out with cranberry flavored vodka in 2014. Flavored with New England cranberries and sweetened with natural cane sugar, that is in reality like a pre-made cocktail. Serve merely crowned with Champagne.

Value: $15.

Square One Bergamot

Maximum citrus culmination are at their easiest within the wintry weather months, therefore the advice right here. However this isn’t your on a regular basis citrus vodka, however fairly one this is gin-like. The celebs of the display are the oranges –particularly Bergamot, mandarin, tangerine, and navel. Ginger, coriander, and juniper are extensively utilized which provide this vodka intensity and complexity. Take a look at in a Sherry Cobbler.

Value: $32.

Sq. One Sherry Cobbler / Photograph Credit score: Sq. One Vodka

Sherry Cobbler Recipe

Recipe tailored from Sq. One -1 ounces. Sq. One Bergamot -1 half ounces. Manzanilla or Dry Amontillado Sherry -2 slices of orange -Three cranberries – contact of agave nectar or easy syrup

Litter one slice of orange and two cranberries. Upload final pieces and shake with ice. Pressure right into a julep, Collins, or stemless wine glass stuffed with beaten ice and layered with cranberries and orange. Mint sprig garnish.

Gin

Hayman’s Sloe Gin

The recipe this gin is in line with has been saved within the circle of relatives for lots of generations. It’s made by way of steeping wild English sloe berries with Hayman’s unique London Dry Gin for months, earlier than the addition of sweetener. In conjunction with sloe berries, the botanicals come with juniper, coriander, lemon peel, orange peel, angelica root, cinnamon, cassia bark, orris root, licorice and nutmeg. Historically, you possibly can drink this neat, however do do that in a Sloe Gin Toddy or with glowing wine.

Value: $27.

Hayman’s Sloe Gin / Photograph Credit score: Hayman’s Gin

Sacred London Dry Gin

Sacred Gin is produced in a micro-distillery in North London. Now not hyperbole. It’s distilled in a circle of relatives house. Twelve botanicals are used together with juniper, cardamom, citrus, nutmeg and boswellia Sacra (aka frankincense), therefore the title of gin. Vacation cookies got here to thoughts upon tasting this so a wintry weather cocktails turns out a herbal have compatibility. Be daring and serve in a heat gin grog or use to spike your vacation punch! By means of the best way, other folks in the United Kingdom, will have to search their Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin—infused with exact Christmas pudding!

Value: $44.

St. George Terroir

Their Terroir Gin targets to spotlight the woodland and earthy flavors of the state of California. They do that by way of the usage of a dozen botanicals together with native California bay laurel, Douglas Fir and coastal sage. Those botanicals create an attractive natural, piney taste that will be beautiful in a Martinez, the precursor to the Martini cocktail. Recipes range very much (just like the Martini) so use this as simply a information and alter in your style.

Value: $34.

Terroir Martinez / Photograph Credit score: St. George Spirits

Terroir Martinez Recipe

-2 ouncesSt. George Terroir Gin -¾ ouncessweet vermouth -¼ ouncesMaraschino liqueur -dash Angostura bitters

Upload all elements to blending glass with ice. Stir then pressure into a calming cocktail glass.

With Distiller, you’ll at all times know what’s within the bottle earlier than you spend a cent. Fee, Evaluation and Uncover spirits! Head on over to Distiller, or obtain the app for iOS and Android lately!

The publish Vodka & Gin Ideas for Your Next Winter Cocktail gave the impression first on The Distiller Blog.

The post Vodka & Gin Concepts for Your Subsequent Wintry weather Cocktail appeared first on Liquor Gift Baskets.

from http://liquorgiftbaskets.net/2019/02/04/vodka-gin-ideas-for-your-next-winter-cocktail/

[gailmalooft]

Vodka & Gin Concepts for Your Subsequent Wintry weather Cocktail

Wintry weather isn’t coming. Wintry weather is right here (a minimum of within the northern hemisphere)! Since spirits are our industry, we’d love to counsel a couple of spirits to your wintry weather cocktail wishes. There are many wintry weather elements that lend a hand to make the season vivid. Piney flavors of Douglas Fir, vivid wintry weather oranges and tart cranberries all recall to mind the wintry weather season. Listed here are six vodka and gin choices with some ideas to your subsequent wintry weather cocktail introduction. Please be aware, costs indexed are reasonable retail costs in america.

Vodka

Grey Goose La Poire

Los angeles Poire first introduced in 2007. The very important oils of pears together with Anjou pear are added to Gray Goose’s same old wintry weather wheat-based vodka. Take a look at the usage of Los angeles Poire as a substitute of unflavored vodka to your subsequent Moscow Mule. Or, even higher, kick up your heat apple cider with somewhat splash.

Value: $27.

Gray Goose Los angeles Poire / Photograph Credit score: Gray Goose

Deep Eddy Cranberry

Deep Eddy got here out with cranberry flavored vodka in 2014. Flavored with New England cranberries and sweetened with natural cane sugar, that is in reality like a pre-made cocktail. Serve merely crowned with Champagne.

Value: $15.

Square One Bergamot

Maximum citrus culmination are at their easiest within the wintry weather months, therefore the advice right here. However this isn’t your on a regular basis citrus vodka, however fairly one this is gin-like. The celebs of the display are the oranges –particularly Bergamot, mandarin, tangerine, and navel. Ginger, coriander, and juniper are extensively utilized which provide this vodka intensity and complexity. Take a look at in a Sherry Cobbler.

Value: $32.

Sq. One Sherry Cobbler / Photograph Credit score: Sq. One Vodka

Sherry Cobbler Recipe

Recipe tailored from Sq. One -1 ounces. Sq. One Bergamot -1 half ounces. Manzanilla or Dry Amontillado Sherry -2 slices of orange -Three cranberries – contact of agave nectar or easy syrup

Litter one slice of orange and two cranberries. Upload final pieces and shake with ice. Pressure right into a julep, Collins, or stemless wine glass stuffed with beaten ice and layered with cranberries and orange. Mint sprig garnish.

Gin

Hayman’s Sloe Gin

The recipe this gin is in line with has been saved within the circle of relatives for lots of generations. It’s made by way of steeping wild English sloe berries with Hayman’s unique London Dry Gin for months, earlier than the addition of sweetener. In conjunction with sloe berries, the botanicals come with juniper, coriander, lemon peel, orange peel, angelica root, cinnamon, cassia bark, orris root, licorice and nutmeg. Historically, you possibly can drink this neat, however do do that in a Sloe Gin Toddy or with glowing wine.

Value: $27.

Hayman’s Sloe Gin / Photograph Credit score: Hayman’s Gin

Sacred London Dry Gin

Sacred Gin is produced in a micro-distillery in North London. Now not hyperbole. It’s distilled in a circle of relatives house. Twelve botanicals are used together with juniper, cardamom, citrus, nutmeg and boswellia Sacra (aka frankincense), therefore the title of gin. Vacation cookies got here to thoughts upon tasting this so a wintry weather cocktails turns out a herbal have compatibility. Be daring and serve in a heat gin grog or use to spike your vacation punch! By means of the best way, other folks in the United Kingdom, will have to search their Sacred Christmas Pudding Gin—infused with exact Christmas pudding!

Value: $44.

St. George Terroir

Their Terroir Gin targets to spotlight the woodland and earthy flavors of the state of California. They do that by way of the usage of a dozen botanicals together with native California bay laurel, Douglas Fir and coastal sage. Those botanicals create an attractive natural, piney taste that will be beautiful in a Martinez, the precursor to the Martini cocktail. Recipes range very much (just like the Martini) so use this as simply a information and alter in your style.

Value: $34.

Terroir Martinez / Photograph Credit score: St. George Spirits

Terroir Martinez Recipe

-2 ouncesSt. George Terroir Gin -¾ ouncessweet vermouth -¼ ouncesMaraschino liqueur -dash Angostura bitters

Upload all elements to blending glass with ice. Stir then pressure into a calming cocktail glass.

With Distiller, you’ll at all times know what’s within the bottle earlier than you spend a cent. Fee, Evaluation and Uncover spirits! Head on over to Distiller, or obtain the app for iOS and Android lately!

The publish Vodka & Gin Ideas for Your Next Winter Cocktail gave the impression first on The Distiller Blog.

The post Vodka & Gin Concepts for Your Subsequent Wintry weather Cocktail appeared first on Liquor Gift Baskets.

from http://liquorgiftbaskets.net/2019/02/04/vodka-gin-ideas-for-your-next-winter-cocktail/

[handlebarfarm]

Pies, cobblers, crisps, jams jellies... It's pear season here at the farm and the possibilities are endless. How would you use these delicious baskets? #goodgrowshere #handlebarfarm

[benjamingarden]

This Month On The Farm: July 2020

July's weather was full-on summer complete with heat, humidity, and lots o' sunshine.  And surprisingly, a lack of mosquitoes.  Hooray for that!  We did receive some rain and when we did, oh boy was it a lot.

Tents - Not Just For Camping

As you can see in the photo above, we decided to make use of a couple of our extra craft show tents and set them up on the upper and lower decks.  On the upper deck it's wide open, used just for rain cover and shade (Ollie is afraid of the netting walls so we left them off).  On the lower deck we used the netting walls and put our outdoor table and chairs inside so we can enjoy eating or sitting outside without bugs attacking.  Ollie, as noted, is afraid of the walls but if he's sitting in his tower with me by his side, he deals with it ok.

gutters and rain barrel installed!

Barrels Of Rain

Woo hoo!  Jay was able to get the gutters installed on the outbuildings and the rain barrels are up and working.  This has been on our "someday" list for years.  Years!  We've been able to successfully use the barrels to water the garden through most of the month, only needing to resort to our well water a couple of times.

Harvesting

As I've mentioned (probably too many times), our garden is mostly shaded.  We receive morning sun over about 70% of it and afternoon sun for a few hours over it all, and it's fully shaded the remainder of the day.  And so, our harvesting starts late.  Then, of course, we had the infamous whistle pig debacle that set us back a bit but we are now enjoying the fruits of our labor.

Green beans are coming in by the bushel.  I know that many people don't enjoy frozen green beans but we do, so I grow enough to enjoy fresh weekly as well as enough to put up in the freezer for winter and springtime eating.  I planted 3 types this year: Blue Lake, Red Noodle, and Calima Bush Beans.  The Red Noodle are still small and green but this is the first year we've planted them so, fingers crossed, they are delicious.

We finally have tomatoes!!!  Well, we finally have ripe tomatoes!  We have a ton, I mean TON, of green tomatoes amidst the 25 plants so we will definitely have plenty for fresh eating as well as for oven-drying to freeze for sauce during the winter.

We are also harvesting onions, cabbage, kale, swiss chard, mixed greens, arugula, microgreens, peppers (jalapeno, ancho, and bell), summer squash, zucchini, the last of the peas, beets, blueberries, blackberries, herbs and radish.

our sweet potato hill

Sadly, our pear and asian pear trees did not do well this year.  I've ordered new "partners" for them (and the paw paw tree) so our hope is we will be swimming in their fruits in a couple of years!  And our whistle pig took out all of our summer broccoli and cauliflower so we won't be harvesting either of those until fall.

At the start of the season I would grab a big bowl from the cupboard and Ollie and I would head to the garden to harvest whatever was ready.  One day, as my bowl was so full the veggies were spilling out of it, Jay looked at me and said "you need a bucket or a basket or something".  I said "I know.  Someone I follow on Instagram just posted a picture of her harvest basket that her husband made.  It was nice - metal mesh and wood sides and handle.  You're too busy though, so maybe next year."  I didn't give it another thought.

Later in the week Jay comes out of his shop holding the PERFECT harvest basket.  He had made it in between other projects he was working on.  Such a sweet gift! 

So now, Ollie and I take our harvest basket with us to the garden on our daily check-in.

looking up one of our mammoth sunflowers

the 2 mammoth sunflowers that survived the whistle pig feast are on the left

Homestead Projects

We have a list of projects that we are hoping to accomplish before fall.  We've managed to check off some of the easier projects, but not so much the larger projects.  Here's what we're chipping away at:

paint the dining room (done)

stain the back deck (done)

paint the living room

fix columns and lay new flooring on one of the two front porches (second porch will be done next year)

paint 2 sides of the house (same color, just refreshing it - the other 2 sides will be done next year)

install fence around the garden (temporarily done - permanent fencing will be done next spring)

build and install a new outdoor pole light in the front yard

build a small nesting box area/water station for garden (so when the chickens are tasked with the garden fall clean-up, they have a place to lay eggs)

chop and stack wood for the woodstove in the shop (done although we may chop a bit more)

install gutters on the outbuildings and hook-up rain barrels (done)

create a raised bed hoop house for one of our garden beds so we can grow greens through late fall/early winter (done for now - we purchased/found the items needed to make this in fall)

Animals

We are not going to add any more animals to the homestead for now and that includes chickens.  The current flock will get smaller, gradually, as the inevitable happens.  We had one pass away this week, she was one of the older girls, and we fully anticipate a few more passing this year from old age.  It certainly doesn't get any easier to deal with death, but at least we have developed a bit of a plan now, of keeping them safe and comfortable during the process.  We also know more about signs, because with chickens, they usually mask illness.  This helps us so we can watch closer and try to make sure they are protected.  

Death is one of the parts of having animals that is so difficult.  Unfortunately, as birds become sick and/or begin the dying process, some of the others can become very cannibalistic.  It's not a pretty sight.  So once we see that one of the girls isn't feeling well, we are able to remove them, but not totally, from the flock.  They are social creatures, so full removal seems to make them stressed and upset.  Instead, we make sure they are separated by a fence allowing them to still feel a part of the flock without getting incessantly pecked at and stepped on.  And no, we don't let them suffer.  If there's any sign of that, and we've done all we can do to make them well, we step in.  

Our overall plan is to get out of the egg-selling business and keep a very small flock (6-8 girls).  With a flock of 24 girls, it will take some time for the flock to naturally reduce (we're down from the 32 we had last year), so we won't be bringing in any chicks until we have less then 8 girls.

zucchini chocolate chip muffins

What Do You Do With All Of That Zucchini?

Isn't this the question you ask yourself every single year?  I always think I have a plan to keep up with it but I struggle by August.  I give it a heck of an effort though.  Here's what we've been doing with our zucchini:

slicing it lengthwise and grilling it (alternatively, you could broil or bake it).  We both love it.  Jay sprinkles a bit of parmesan on his and I like mine plain.  It's sooooo juicy and delicious.

cutting it into chunks and sautéing it with onions and corn.  I add a bit of butter to Jay's and mine is plain.  We just love the combination.

stuffing it.  As noted in this weekending post (at the bottom), I always enjoy coming up with new stuffing ideas.  The key is to bake, boil, or grill the scooped out zucchini halves before you fill and bake them so they are nice and soft once finished.

making our very favorite chocolate zucchini cake. Even my husband who isn't the world's biggest chocolate fan LOVES both versions.  The original version is here.  The healthier/reduced oil and sugar version is here.

making Kate's recipe for healthier zucchini bread.

making zucchini and chocolate chip muffins.  They are ah-mazing!  I just realized I've never shared the recipe here.  I'll try to get that on the blog!

making zucchini noodles with homemade pesto.  Soooo good!

adding zucchini to grilled kebabs.  (everything gets marinated in italian dressing first)

adding zucchini to soups such as minestrone.

making zucchini cobbler.  (tastes just like apple cobbler)

making veggie stew.  I use zucchini and whatever fresh veg is in the garden to make stew as the temps begin to drop in the fall.

I'm not a big fan of eating it raw (there's a weirdness to it) or as zucchini "fries", so those didn't make the list.  We've made zucchini pickles in the past but we aren't huge pickle eaters so I haven't been making them.  

I'd love to hear your family's favorite ways to eat zucchini!

Oliver, my garden/kitchen/preserving/everything helper

Preserving, Or, What We'll Be Eating This Winter

Since our garden is now in full swing, the preserving process has finally begun!  

Green beans - as noted above, they are being put up in the freezer weekly.

Peppers - so far we've only collected enough jalapeno's to preserve, so those have been made into pickled jalapeno rings.

Relish - our cucumbers are struggling this year.  I've never had an issue with cukes, so I'm not sure what's happening.  So we purchased some cucumbers from the farmer's market and, along with our bell peppers and onions we'll can enough relish for my husband to enjoy with his occasional hot dog lunch.

Zucchini - I did freeze some grated zucchini (portioned into 2 cup servings) that I can add to muffins, quick breads, etc.

Onions - we are drying quite a few and then I'll chop and freeze the remainder.

How do you figure out how much veggies to preserve?  This is a question I receive a lot.  For us, this is how I plan it.  We typically rotate the same dishes all winter long so I can usually predict how often during the week we'll eat veggies such as green beans, broccoli, winter squash, tomato sauce, etc.  I then times that by how many weeks we'll need preserved food and that's how I calculate it.  So, as an example, I plan on serving green beans twice a week for 28 weeks which means I will need to freeze 56 bags of green beans (bagged in single-serving sizes).  

It gets a bit more difficult with carrots, corn, onions, canned chopped tomatoes, and peppers because I use them on their own as well as in many different dishes.  Over time, through trial and error, I've made it so I can get pretty close.  For the frozen veggies, I flash-freeze them and then store them in large, gallon-size bags, so I can just take out what I need when I'm cooking.

That's July around the homestead!

This Month On The Farm: July 2020 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

[adtwixt]

Adtwixt - News: August Diary: Promises I'm Making Myself

Regular news updates from Adtwixt Saturday:  It's late in Shabat, just two hours more to have the full extent of the day of rest.  Today began early.  I stepped out on the porch to feed the pets and looked at the sun rising and sang "Shema".   That I remember the Hebrew after all these years away from synagogue, that these words come easily still at the sight of daybreak, astounds me: Shema, Israel, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad. Hear O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One... It was a hurry up sort of morning, but the wonder of God was  there on the front porch this morning.  I felt reverent as I went about the rest of my morning preparations. Katie and I went to pick up Taylor.  Over the hills and through the woods and past meadows shining in the golden morning light and alongside fields of freshly mown hay with bales scattered here and there.  Over creeks flowing over rocks and rivers slowly moving along sandy beds.  And everywhere the golden rod standing high, the mallow stems heavy with buds, foxtail grass dancing in the air currents, and trees with autumn hues already tinging the leaves scattered amongst the pines.   My heart ached and swelled as each new sight came into view, singing a song of both joy and grief, as I see the signs of one season passing into another.  I have learned to find something lovely and beautiful in every season of the year rather than claim just one as my favorite.  And so I must grieve the loss of one and rejoice in the other. Bonus of this road trip today was being in near proximity to a well known peach shed which blissfully was packed with traffic, a sure sign they had peaches still.  I passed a little tent with a table laden with little yellow squash and red ripe tomatoes.  My mouth watered.   On our way back to the house, when time was not quite the premium thing it was on the trip up,  I stopped and bought a big basket of peaches. I didn't even ask the price.  I got heavy red ripe tomatoes big enough to fill my hand.  I filled a sack with tender little yellow summer squash.   I didn't care about my financial state just at that moment.  I cared about savoring the remaining days of summer and it's lovely fruitful state. And in the end, it's all part and parcel of the grocery budget which renews on Monday anyway.  I'll borrow now and cut back later. I asked how much longer they might have peaches.  "We hope we can stay open until next weekend."  One week...Just one week more and then we're done with peaches for the next 10 months.  I haven't eaten nearly enough of them.  I've made just one cobbler all summer long.  I promise that next year I shall eat my fill, I shall make cobblers galore, I will.... We came home and I cut up the squash with one of the last Vidalia onions into a frying pan and then added 1/4 cup of water, covered them and let them steam gently.  I made a salad with half a tomato diced finely over it.  "I've not even had a single fresh tomato sandwich..." I said, as I sprinkled those lovely red bits over the green lettuce.  "I promise I shall have at least one this week and next year..." Oh, next year! We had a lovely visit after dinner with Taylor and Katie.  Taylor wanted purple nails "with glitter...which we do NOT eat!"   Sometimes a child does hint at some corrected behavior don't they?  I imagined her with a mouth sparkled with glitter at her nursery school and a sparkling tongue and giggles before the teacher noticed... So I did her nails and then on a whim, I used the glittery polish to coat my own nails.  I'm too old for glitter...but I think it looks magical in the light.   Didn't I promise myself to do my fingernails more often?  Oh! one more promise I really need to keep! Taylor asked about the little cats on the bookshelf.  "One day," I told her, "they shall be yours...because my grandmother gave them to me and I would like to give them to you,  my granddaughter."   Not that Taylor's my only granddaughter, I have four more but somehow I know that Taylor is the one these cats belong to.   It feels odd to be thinking of little legacies such as this, but I told Katie and John, "Listen to me.  Be my witnesses. This is my promise:  these cats will be Taylor's and if I die before I gift them to her, be sure that she gets them...and the little girl with a book will be Hailey's." Taylor crawled into my lap and leaned on my shoulder.  "I love you..."  Oh my heart!  How blessed I am to know the very genuine love of these children of my children.  How very blessed! John took Katie and Taylor home to Katie's a little later.   I sat here in the quiet, with my thoughts whispering all about me.  Tired and happy and mindful of things I want to hold tight to and mindful that none of these endless days of housework, no matter how satisfying the work may be, will be the things I remember most.  It will indeed be the taste of a sun ripened peach grown in Georgia soil, the feel of a little girl's head on my shoulder, the way a good ripe tomato smells and summer squash tastes, and how lovely a meadow is in sunlight of a dewy morning.  It will be those things which I shall remember and it makes keeping these promises to myself imperative. John has stepped out on the 'verandah' as he chooses to call the front porch and the wind is blowing hot and heavy and ringing the old iron chimes.  Ting, ting, ting, ting...Deeper than most windchimes.   I confess I'm more fond of middle and deeper tones than the tinkly sorts of chimes.  These please me. It takes a real wind to stir those bells to life.  In the distance, coming ever nearer, thunder rumbles.   Summer's music...Please Lord, make me mindful of my promises to keep! Sunday:  There are sheets and towels on the line and peach cobbler cooling atop the stove.  Not for us that cobbler but for Taylor's daddy.  The house about me is clean and quiet just now.  Here in a little bit I shall head over to Katie's to visit with them for a little while before Taylor begins her journey home. I sent John off to work this morning and tackled housework right away though I was tired and thought longingly of going back to my bed.  But not today.  Today there are sheets to blow in the sunlight and a house to put to order and a child to spend time loving. I think John is feeling the pull of the seasonal change.  He's asked me to make a turkey pot pie this week and I've promised I shall.   He wants Roast beef hash, too...and he'll have that as well, but it amuses me that he's wanting these comforting cooler weather sorts of foods.  I've told you before that summer salads do pall for us after a bit.   We'll have a few more despite these longings of ours for cozy meals.   A chef salad will be a quick and easy meal after grocery shopping this week...and I find myself suddenly making up menus for the week ahead, something I'd let drop for a bit because I was just flat tired of planning.  However, between leftovers and requests I guess I've got this week pretty much covered...Now let's see how many of these meals I actually get to make.  The roast beef meal we had on Saturday and the enchiladas were thawed on Friday when John had said we'd skip the date then got that second wind in his sails and wanted to go out after all. The roast beef is in the fridge... Everything else is frozen at present or is fresh and ready to prepare. Roast Beef, Summer Squash and Onions, Tossed Salad, Matzoh Cracker Candy Chicken Verde Enchiladas, Yellow Rice and Peach Salsa Roast Beef Hash, Wedge Salads with Thousand Island Dressing on my own  out with Mama Chef's Salad, Homemade Croutons, Peach Cobbler (for us) Turkey Pot Pie, Cranberry Sauce, Pear Salads And there's my menu plan! Speaking of food: one of the frugal articles I read last week dealt with grocery spending.  She cited the USDA government site  where you can see what food costs were for the prior month and how much one following the thrifty or low cost plans might be spending.  And then she suggested that financial advisors suggest 6% of our annual income is what we ought to spend.  As nearly as I recall how to figure percentages our spending should be something like $61 a week for the two of us.  Now  that's only for food.  It does not include pet supplies, paper or cleaning products etc.   It is also a good deal less than the government's food plan figures for a thrifty diet.  According to their figures in June we would have been spending about $84/per week.  I actually think I came in right around there  with a few paper products and one or two pet items tossed in but those would not account for more than $11 so I'm still nowhere near the 6% mark.  It does give me food for thought.  I was so proud of trimming my budget to $300 a month...But could I possibly hit closer to $244?   I'm pretty sure my husband would rebel hard at that but I'm tempted to try it just the same.  And of course, once we do retire, our 6% would also be a good bit less than $244...so I feel I owe it to myself to try and trim things back a bit more.   I'll let you know! Now off I go to unload the dishwasher and finish my bit of housework. Monday:  More tired and weary than I'd thought I'd be today...I didn't plan a day of mostly rest, but there you are.  I realized this morning that I basically did the equivalent of a drive to Kingsland and back with a brief stay to visit...but 8 hours of driving!  I felt it this morning. Thankfully only light housework was needed and dinner was pretty much ready.  I am reheating Chicken Enchiladas and have a salad made.  I'd meant to have peach salsa  with this meal but it's more effort than I want to go to today. John and I have been watching an interesting series of videos where the YouTubers go to visit old graveyards along back roads here in Georgia, some of them which are severely neglected.  I think it's made us both aware of the graveyard back of our house.  It is not on my property but just over the fence line.  Granny and Granddaddy always maintained the graveyard and when my cousin bought the land, so did he.  However, when it fell into my brother's hands it was no longer kept up.  I'd asked to take it on with his permission and he agreed but then he wired all the entrances shut with barbed wire so that I couldn't get into the area.  Now that Sam owns the land, I think I can get to it once more, but ten years of neglect means that it's now snaky and heavily overgrown. It is my hope that we can reclaim the space and maintain it once more but both Sam and John feel the graveyard is just too far gone.  However, come cold weather I shall go there and begin to do what I might.  Another  of my 'small bites' projects.  I feel sure if I start it Sam and John will eventually have pity on me and join in... The graveyard was not a family ground.  It belonged to a huge old Federal house that sat on the hill before ours.  This land was likely part of that original land grant but I haven't yet researched it out to prove that fact.   Still, I do know the people buried near my home were once residents there.  I would like to do my part in preserving a little bit of history, especially since the house burned down 30 odd years ago. Another promise I shall make this week: reclaim the graveyard and give it it's proper care. Tuesday:  We didn't do much of anything at all yesterday.  I was just worn out.  Some days are just so.  John did a load of laundry and hung a few things to dry.  I made meals and kept those simple and easy. Today we played catch up.  Typically we'd drive down on payday to pick up John's check if he's not working  the Tuesday following.  Well he wasn't working today, but we didn't go down yesterday afternoon.  He wanted to cut Sam's grass since Sam's busy with renovations inside the house. John went over yesterday afternoon,  though why he waited until afternoon to do so is beyond me.  It was so terribly hot, with a heat index of 107f.  It's been that way all week long.  It's meant to end here this weekend, though. I lived without AC for years and years.  We had only window units we used occasionally.  The year Sam was born was one year when we used AC all summer long because it was miserably hot from May to September that year.  Real temperatures that year were near 110F.  Between the summer heat and the winter cold we spent much of the year living in just one or two rooms.  That's all we could heat or cool in those years. It was very expensive to run AC in the 1980's and '90s.  When John and I got together and were struggling so we simply could not afford to run the window units though they were brand new.  We ended up compromising.  We turned them on Friday evening when we came in from work and turned them off Sunday night when we went to bed (11pm). It cost us over $300 a month to run it 8 days.   We've never paid that much a month here in the worst of our summers.  We came near it this past autumn when it was freezing and we had to run the emergency heat after our motor went out on the unit.   But all in all, AC is much more affordable than it was 25 years ago and I am so grateful for that! Today we did the payday errands: banking, bills, and groceries.  Not as much work as it sounds  because I have the bills ready to go out days ahead and then I just take them to the mailbox as soon as we do the banking.   John had warned we'd have a shorter check.  We didn't.   It wasn't quite enough to meet all our needs this time around but I'd already planned ahead for that,  so it was easy enough to proceed as planned.  I'll be sure to tell him we're on a no spend from now until next pay period which should see us through this small slump. I did well enough on groceries.  I didn't buy any meat this time around.  I'd looked at chuck roasts but they were very fatty and the one I thought worth purchasing was over $20...Wowza!  I decided I'd just skip it.  I know we've plenty of meat on hand at present. As I put groceries away in the pantry, I suggested to John that we might skip a big grocery shop next pay period and get just dairy and produce as needed.  We have quite a deep pantry at the moment and I saw only two or three items that I wished to stock more heavily, like flour, cereal and coffee.   Again, good sales will  fill those needs. I was thinking this morning that over the years I've found lots of ways to save money. Our mobile phone service is quite reasonable. We pay roughly the same for two phones that we once paid for one landline and one prepaid phone.  At one point our mobile phone company bought out our satellite TV service.  We were able to combine bills and make a small savings.  However, I soon discovered the days of renegotiating our satellite service contract was an exercise in futility with the phone company as boss.  So much for twenty five years of good customer status! Our local phone service internet was abysmal.  It had gotten so that we had no internet service from Friday afternoon at 4pm until Monday morning at 9am.  No we didn't get any discounts for the lack of service.  The company denied there was any problem!  So we moved to a satellite service.  We paid a LOT for that service.  Double what we'd paid for the local service.  However,  it was reliable and we had service we could count on. When our current mobile phone service offered an unlimited data pan  we hopped right on, changed phone plans and got the newly available hot spot.  We dropped internet satellite and saved on new smart phones, buying older models that were heavily discounted, paying cash up front.  That kept our phone bills low.   Smart phones for the same price as a mobile/text service?  Please and thank you! When lightning ran in on our television last August, we bought a Fire TV and in January I finally convinced John to quit satellite.  We dropped the satellite TV service which meant we paid still less out of pocket.  I was already paying for Amazon Prime membership each month, well worth the savings in shipping alone.  We aren't big shoppers, but I guarantee I order something from Amazon every month that is cheaper than I can find it elsewhere and that is covered under the prime free shipping.  We watch pretty much all the television we want to watch with our hot spot.  We did subscribe to Netflix' basic plan.  I am still paying far less for the phone service with unlimited data, Amazon and Netflix than I previously paid for phones, internet and satellite tv services. But for all that some things change, others pretty much stay the same.  We've paid basically the same amount for gasoline each month for the past 20 years.  Some years we drive more and some we drive less.  Our average is always right around the same amount each month for costs though. Groceries is another area that remained fairly stable for a long number of years.  I stopped buying certain items and made more from scratch and yet it's only been in these past two years I've begun to see a significant savings in the grocery spending.   I might add that during this two year period of time I've fed more people and spent less, while previously we spent a good deal more and fed only two.   Now that we're basically feeding just the two of us once more, I've watched my budget amount drop to what is an all time low for us.   Still...I could perhaps save more and I am working on it! Being frugal is never a stagnant and finite thing.  As time goes on, some of those ways I saved are no longer valid.  Eating habits change, income changes, products and promotions leave the market or come on the market. Our needs change.  What is needed in this stage of life is not the same as what was needed previously and won't be the same in five years.  For every new thing that comes along there are new ways to save and manage. Being frugal has never been boring!  And for me, that's what keeps it fun. Thursday:  I had every intent of sharing with you all yesterday but by the time I was done with Mama, I was really and most sincerely done in every sense of the word.  Once Bess and the boys left (and what good medicine they were!), I hadn't even the energy to eat.  I drank a V8 and showered and went off to bed with a book on prayer and fell asleep and slept the bulk of all night long.  Wailing and gnashing of teeth might have occurred in moderation in between that V8 and the shower but it was in extreme moderation. Today is better.   Today I am mindful of my many blessings and mindful of my own ways and words.  As well I ought to be.  Difficult relationships sometimes never cease to be difficult.  But more on that another day and time, perhaps. This morning I greeted John with a proper big breakfast.  Funny thing, we are eating less these days.  I suppose it's partly due to the heat and partly due to the fact that so much of what we choose to eat is just good fresh foods and they fill us amply even when eaten in moderation.  Our 'big' breakfast consisted of Fried egg, grits, toast and turkey sausage.   It is a big breakfast but certainly not one of those mammoth restaurant 'big' sorts of breakfasts. After breakfast I started a loaf of bread.  I'd really meant to get one going yesterday morning when John left as I was sure it would be done by the time I was ready to leave for Mama's, but time slipped away from me as I got all out of routine and did things in far different time frames than usual...which all worked  lovely as I was practically dressed and fully made up by the time Bess and Isaac stopped in to start their laundry.  Quick prayers, everyone, that work on their utility room goes through this weekend and their washer and dryer are up and running once more.  It's hard work lugging loads and loads of clothes from there to here and back again... Mama, as I expected, wanted to go to the big peach packing shed just 20 minutes north of me.  It is a good hour or so from her house...But go we did and I bought a half peck of peaches.  For one thing I meant to share with Bess, and I did.   I will put some in the freezer.  And I want to savor the last of this seasonal fruit because I do love peaches! For some reason the morning flew past.  Quicker than usual.  I'm not real sure why.   Well I do too know why.  John and I had a lot to talk over this morning and to think about and come back to talk over one more time.  I was still finishing up Bible study while our dinner cooked today.  It was one of those lovely Bible study sessions in which each passage of scripture I read today was pertinent to my own thoughts about matters that we'd discussed.   Friday:  The end of another week...They do fly by these days, don't they?   John and I have a lot to consider these days.  There's a possibility that our plans for retirement will be pushed forward from next June to end of this year.  All my plans to save money and stash away all I might as far as non-perishable things will be more modest than I'd been shooting for.  I'm not worried, but it is a little disconcerting.   Still, nothing is yet set in stone and we are at the point where now is as good as later and we'll trust God's timing.  In the end, we must always let go of our plans and rely on Him anyway, as I've discovered more than once. My house is very nearly Shabat ready.   We've no plans for this weekend aside from going to church.  I will have turkey pot pie for tomorrow's dinner which I'll do my best to prep ahead.  I'm debating dessert options.  On the one hand, I think gelatin or pudding would be a nice counter to the hot pot pie, don't you?   I'd love to make a lemon meringue pie but not sure I really want to go to that much work this afternoon when the kitchen is pretty much cleaned for the weekend.  I'll have to think on this.   I  have a Chef Salad for our main meal today.   It was on my menu plan and I find between cheese, a few slivers of turkey and some hard boiled egg we've plenty of protein and fat to satisfy us all afternoon long.  And there's a lovely bit of leftover peach cobbler, though I did make a smaller one yesterday.    And that is my week, full of the expected, and the unexpected, full of the lovely and the difficult, full of promises to keep.   Frugal things: The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so nothing be lost  I mean fragments of time as well as materials...every member of a household should be employed either in earning or saving money. The American Frugal Housewife ~ Lydia Maria Francis Child It's quite hot and the AC is pretty much running non-stop until 10 pm every night and then coming on periodically all through the night and early mornings.  I turned the AC up to 78, not my favorite point as it tends to feel a bit more stuffy, but it at least is one way to save.  I've noted the AC cuts off earlier and stays off a wee bit longer. (This should end as of Tuesday evening this week...Milder temperatures are coming our way.  Hooray!) I'm also being very mindful of running water unnecessarily at present.   This is finally getting to be more and more a habit with me as I have always tended to be the sort who let the water run and run as I rinsed dishes for the dishwasher or brushed my teeth or washed my face.  However, electricity is money and so I am doing my best to be mindful that the pump must run if I must run water. Happily, all the heat keeps generating pop up rain showers so watering plants is not a chore I must attend to.  As for porch and house plants, it's easy enough to 'save' water from bits left in bottles or glasses or that is running while it's cold and I'm needing hot to catch up and use for those.  And if I'm quick, I can often pop a porch planter under the run off from the roof and water plants with rain water. I may be just longing to shop but I know my current season isn't going to be any less tight if I run up a credit card bill, so I'm deleting tempting emails full of sales and waiting a few days before even considering those few purchases that make it into a cart.  So far, nothing has made it from the cart to 'order' because I either forget it or I discover something I can use that I already have or I just make up my mind to go without. I ordered a new phone case and accessory ring  from eBay.  I bought the last case two years ago and it's falling apart.  I tried to remove the ring from the old case but it's a no go.  I even went to  YouTube and I discovered that they don't re-stick once removed.  The new ring  was pennies on the dollar  on eBay for the exact same one I bought for bigger bucks at the phone store last year.  I literally saved enough on the ring to cover the cost of the new case and keep change in my pocket.   In case you're wondering what a phone ring is, it's a ring that you stick to the back of your phone or phone case and  can slide a finger through and  allows you to hold the phone without dropping it.  Dropping my phone is an issue for me, so the ring isn't a vanity thing, it's purely a necessity.  Ditto for the phone case.  I get the shock absorbing sort of case.  Both items will be paid from my allowance. Sunday morning I did a full load of dishes right away after John left for work and then I ran a full load of laundry (sheets and towels).  Everything air dried. John and I combined errands when we went out to shop for groceries. I checked with John about how he liked the bread machine bread I've been making.  He thinks it's great...and so I suggested I make a couple loaves a week, and we supplement with the occasional loaf that we'll keep in the freezer.   Once at the store I decided to buy smaller sized loaves.  Same number of slices per loaf but just a smaller piece of bread overall.  The smaller sized loafs were about $1 cheaper.  With the homemade machine bread we've been eating  half slices. I've given in to buying cookies for John this summer.  It's not worth heating up the kitchen for any period of time to make them...but I told him as soon as it starts to cool off I mean to make more homemade cookies and forgo the bought ones until the Spekulaas cookies are in market once more.  In the meantime, Tammy has inspired me to make a batch of those yummy stovetop chocolate oatmeal cookies.  I'd forgotten those as an oven free option.  John loves those cookies. No meat purchased today, but only because I thought better of it when I priced the nicest chuck roast in the counter.  I had a fair idea of how much meat I had in the freezer at home (not to mention how much is in the fridge at present) and I felt we could by pass that purchase.  I'll watch for good sales on meat in the next few weeks and try to stock up then. I suggested to John it would be worthwhile to return to purchasing chicken breasts and ground beef on special at the organic market we used to visit.  I've noted that the price at the organic market is nearly $2/pound less so it's well worth driving there for the savings. Made a loaf of bread, a small peach cobbler and used up leftover roast beef and gravy to make hash. John hung most of a load of clothes to dry. I washed a full load of dishes in the dishwasher. I've downloaded a few free books for my Kindle.  Most are Christian non-fiction but one was a children's book (never know when that might come in handy!) and Mansfield Park by Jane Austen was free the other day.  I am not going nuts adding books.  I am trying to be thoughtful about what I might truly read and most will be deleted once I'm done but in time I will add books I really want to buy that are cheaper via Kindle and won't take up space on my filled bookcases...Not to say I am done buying hard cover books.  Some friends just deserve a full time home where I can hold them and love them as I read! I've started a 'stock up list'.   So far I've got tissues (for cold and flu season) and cold medicine (ditto from previous), pineapple juice (same), matches, toilet paper, flour, coffee (regular and decaf) and boxed cereal.   I may add more as time goes on but these are items I am very well aware we're very low or empty on.  Oh and candles!  We use them for our Shabats and typically two candles last us a couple or three months but they are awfully handy when power goes out as well so I like to stock up. I've started adding tissues and paper towels to our compost.  And this morning, I decided it was worth while to shred our weekly newspapers as well.  I've been adding shredded mail for quite a while but these are extra items I know I can compost.  I plan to 'grow my compost' so to speak, as I get more and more serious about my need for flowers and perhaps a few vegetables here and there. Meals: So I made my plans...how did that go?   Here's what we really ate this week Roast Beef, Squash, Tossed Salad McDonalds with Katie and Taylor Chicken Verde Enchiladas, Green Salad with Tomatoes and Green Onions Chicken Salad Sandwiches with fresh fruit (take out) Chicken Livers and Fries with Mama Roast Beef Hash, Sliced Tomato Salad with Basil, Peach Cobbler Chef's Salad, Oyster Crackers (something we often sub for croutons), Peach Cobbler (C) Terri Cheney For more information please click here

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