Coffee anyone ?

[Mini Horses]

Started early with strong coffee! Then got busy on the chores, back inside for a day of "get it done".

15 stuffed peppers are ready for the vac bags, then freezer. Tomatoes are cooking down, peppers are dehydrating, 5 pint jars of pepper/onion relish is done, egglant blanched & frozen, a pound of cheese is chilling.....gotta hit the rest of this milk!! More cheese to do tomorrow. Ricotta to freeze -- all this tomato sauce will need to be lasagna or something. I'm wanting bruschetta now.

The closet: got boxes ready and vacuum storage bags out to sort, store, clothes, etc. I opened the door, said a few naughty words and anticipate a really late night. (I'll need wine! ) Will work on it while I wait & stir on the tomatoes....then can. Tomorrow will be busy but, perishables are now under control.


@Baymule -- yep, high heels galore!! Some nice clothes. I bought very classic, well-made, so most are still stylish. Colors come & go. Again, a lot of basic that I dressed up/down with current trends. Someone will be dressing well! I hope it will help them. Of course, in the "current" atmosphere many only need a good top over their PJs -- or it's casual Friday, every day.
I don't need a quilt but, will keep a few things to cover any "dress up" needs that may come along. Think I'll have the mink made into a vest or jacket type thing. It'll work with jeans & Ariats.....

 

[Baymule]

A mink with jeans and Ariats! No why didn’t I think of that! Haha probably because it seldom gets cold enough to wear a mink coat and the sheep, horses/chickens/dogs wouldn’t be impressed anyway.

 

[farmerjan]

You really did "hit it" with all the canning/perishable stuff today.... Good for you. The other.... I have alot of stuff that I am going to go through and as i wash, make some decisions. I have not worked a "nice job" where I needed alot of clothes. Waitressing was all black pants/skirts and white blouses.... good anytime/anywhere. I got rid of some stuff that I couldn't get into but there is still more.... Mostly it is all farm clothes, lots of jackets/flannel/sheepskin/sweatshirts and that is all staying.... I don't have to buy anything except for jeans 99% of the time.... Might have a couple pair of heels but never wore them waitressing either.... dress up for me was dressy pants and western boots.... might be able to get this ankle back into them pretty soon too.....
Have a few things for funerals and such.... but here they mostly all wear black jeans and dark shirts/jackets to them too. Some women wear dresses/skirts.... but not many that I hang around with. Maybe I should be a little more refined.....

 

[Baymule]

We both awoke at 4 AM. BJ is making coffee, it will be ready soon. What’s for today? I might go through freezers again, got to get them cleared out and organized, almost there. Still tomatoes in the meat freezer, not many. I’m almost there on getting the freezers done.

 

[promiseacres]

Thanks Baymule.
Put more tomatoes in the dehydrator yesterday then worked in the farm yard, cutting out all the random mulberries that were growing in flower beds and random places we can't mow. Probably going to make some stuffed peppers today, otherwise just school.

 

[Bruce]

We both awoke at 4 AM

The little one wakes you up even when she isn't there?

 

[Mini Horses]

The little one wakes you up even when she isn't there?

I suspect the big one this time..... You guys tend to turn and sling your arms a lot!!

Mostly it is all farm clothes, lots of jackets/flannel/sheepskin/sweatshirts and that is all staying.

Oh, I have a lot of all that, also. Yeah, dual life for years...the formal business office and the business farm. I actually don't know how!!

The cooked down tomatoes will get canned this morning. Didn't happen last night. While they were finishing the last hour of simmer, I sliced another load of peppers for the dehydrator. Those odd ones that wouldn't work to stuff.....I have a LOT of frozen and pepper/onion mixes...dried works in your longer cooking things. Plus, I snack on them Often a couple pieces makes me realize I'm not "hungry" just want a taste of something.

Today I watched a beautiful sunrise with my coffee in hand. It was right there outside my kitchen window. I should get up this early every day and enjoy the sights. It is supposed to be only mid 80s, no rains, lower humidity. WOW -- and another grass cutting day. I swear, it grows 2 inches overnight!!!! Just cut it....now again.
Need to hit a couple pastures, then it will regrow before cold weather hits. I'll bank that grass for them but, some weeds need to go. I'll toss the doe herd out there first....they love many of those weeds.

Everyone enjoy the day you get.

 

[Baymule]

Ah the working days! At one time I worked in Houston, commuting 78 miles one way to work. I’d run by the horse pasture to feed them before I went home. I kept a pair of rubber boots and an old coat in the car. I’d take off the heels, put on the boots, throw that old coat over my dress in what was usually a futile attempt to keep mud and crud off my nice clothes, then slop through the mud to feed the horses. It got dark before I got there in the winter so BJ would leave work to go Feed for me. He called one cold rainy evening to inquire my whereabouts, I was just crossing the Trinity river bridge. Joe was out, he had calmly walked through the gate when BJ opened it and he couldn’t catch Joe. Joe was calmly grazing on the road side, would let BJ get close, then calmly walk away. I instructed BJ to watch Joe, keep the headlights on him, and I’d be there. I pulled up some 20 minutes later, got a strand of hay string from under the seat, put it around Joe’s neck and led him back to the gate. Smart Alec horse knew he could fool BJ, but not me.

 

[Ridgetop]

Farmerjan: No need to remove the baseboard heater. Cut into the wall above it and you can box around it. Insulate above the heater so the closet doesn't heat up if using it for canned goods. Frame in and finish off the empty space and add cabinet doors. Any shallow nooks can be enclosed for jar storage. Also you can install shallow cupboards on the exterior of end run cabinets that stick into the room. Good use of shallow space for canned goods, spices, etc.

Does the house have a root cellar or basement?

I love utilizing dead space. In fact that reminds me that I have 4' wide of 12' deep dead space where we installed storage cabinets in half an old furnace closet. It backs up to a bedroom and I could open that wall (behind the bedroom door) and install a 4' wide, 12" deep floor to ceiling canned goods closet! Thanks for reminding me. Where's my crowbar? I have jars of jam and jelly in boxes that could be stored there freeing up shelf space for my canned vegetables and tomatoes . . . . Oh, wait! The ground squirrels have prevented any harvest this year so not tomatoes or veggies. .

Here is an easy and fast way to build storage cabinets in empty space behind a wall. Cut a small hole in the wallboard. See how much empty space is inside and measure it, Subtract the measurements of the framing you will have to install to attach the cabinets. Get prefab cabinets from Lowes or Home Depot. Cut the wallboard out to the exterior measurements of the cabinet boxes NOT THE FACE FRAME. Remove the studs and frame the opening with 2" x 4"s. Slide the prefab cabinets into the framed hole and attach. If you have been careful, the face frame will cover the wallboard edges. You can patch with caulking or molding if necessary. It is an easy way to utilize empty space. I have done it in 2 bedrooms. It adds extra closed storage and leaves the closet space usable. You can also pick up used cabinets at building supply companies or Habitat.

If you have an IKEA close enough, you can buy their modular closets and install them n a corner f the bedrooms for closets, We did that in one of the apartments we had as well as in our new front entry. I get white cabinets and use white molding and they look very nice. Not as good as a regular built in closet, but lots quicker, cheaper, and easier than framing, drywalling, and painting.

 

[Baymule]

Coffee and brownies! Brownies are good breakfast food. Chocolate comes from cocoa BEANS. BEANS are a vegetable. Sugar comes from sugar BEETS. BEETS are a vegetable. Flour is WHEAT. WHEAT is a grain. BUTTER is in the dairy group, plus the EGGS, makes BROWNIES a very healthy breakfast.