Finally- snow. North of us has had snow, south of us has had snow, and finally today we have snow too. lol Not that it's my favorite thing, but it sure is beautiful and it blankets everything in a soft quiet kind of tranquility. It's much better retired of course... I don't have to go anywhere if I don't want to. I'm still in my pajamas right now, and might just stay in them. Getting dressed seems a little overrated on days like this.
The pandemic has changed everything. My once hectic life has slowed down a lot, just in time for a heart attack and surgery which demanded slowing down. I had an icky Achilles tendon surgery in February of last year which had me housebound and in a wheelchair for a good amount of time. Got out of the worst of that just in time for the Corona Virus. So this has been a year of contemplation and quiet, of re-evaluating and reconsidering. Some of this, I'm sure, is my age. Some of this is the times. Weird times. People are losing their minds. I seem to be finding mine. lol
The critters are napping all over the house. The dogs have been out and back in a couple of times. The old girl doesn't like the cold, the baby keeps wanting to go out and check it out and then run back in. The outside cat comes and goes. She's been sleeping inside on the colder nights and will sometimes even stay inside during the day. She has a little basket high on a table to sleep in where those other horrid cats don't bother her so much. She's old and cranky and has no tolerance for their shenanigans. The twinlets are 2 years old and the Grey kitten is 1, and still very kitten-ish and playful.
I've got some stew meat in the microwave thawing to make a nice pot of beef stew for supper. Full of carrots, potatoes, onions and celery, it will be a nice with a loaf of fresh baked french bread. Himself works outside parts of the day, so he comes home hungry and cold and grumpy. A nice substantial supper puts him right. We usually eat around 6:30-7, depending on what time he rolls in. This weather might slow him down some, or some days he works late. Nice thing about a pot of stew is that it will be ready when he is. Our evenings are pretty quiet, and he is usually off to the shower and bed by 9:15 or so. He gets up around 4:45 AM and works 10 hour days M-TH, then [usually] an 8 hour OT day on Fridays. Makes for a long week, and I try to do everything I can to make it easier for him.
Found a recipe for a DIY oven cleaner made with some pretty innocuous ingredients, so I may try to clean my oven this afternoon. before I get the bread going. And then again... lol I have a hard time with commercial oven cleaners. Seems I react to something in them and wind up coughing and choking from the fumes. So, I'll try this and see if it works. My friend assures me that it does, but she doesn't cook like I do, and I'm pretty sure her oven never gets as trashed as mine. lol I'll let you know.
I've been cooking and canning up a storm. Hit a grand meat sale, and bought about 75 pounds of 80% lean ground beef, pork loin and bottom round roast for around $150.oo. I froze 2 batches of pork loin chops, several packages of ground beef and a couple of bags of stew meat (plus cooked a roast for supper one of those canning days) and canned all the rest of it. My pantry is stocked. I've been buying some extras of basic staples like flour and sugar and oats and oil and rice. Should be able to go without grocery shopping for a while. I have bought a few extras now and again of things like laundry supplies, dish soap and paper products. My first aid kits are all stocked. Pet foods are stocked (mostly) . Playing with the idea of canning some dog food, but that may or may not happen.
That's about it from here on the Hill. Hanging out, staying in and trying to not be too worried about how crazy people are getting. I have high hopes again about the state of our nation with a new president, I pray that everything will work out without too much strife. There does seem to be a faction of folks that don't want to anything but cause strife. It is worrisome... Be well everyone
No comments:
Post a Comment