My Weblog

A purpose driven day..........

Right now, as I write, chicken is processing in the canner. Lots of chicken. I ended up with two canning projects that were new to me. First, I thought I'd grabbed two packages of chicken breasts from the freezer to can up. As it turned out, one package was bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Given the way my wrist aches with a lot of cutting, I decided to can the thighs more or less as is. There was quite a lot of fat and excess skin on some of them. I had to get rid of that as best I could. 'I've seen others wedge 3 whole thighs into a pint jar. I must have gotten some really fat hens because I could only manage 2 per jar, but that gave me 5 jars of thighs. 

Then I managed 7 pints of chicken dijon. When I open a jar of the chicken dijon, I can add some half and half, heat it all together, and I'll have several meals of creamy chicken dijon from that one jar. It will go even further because I'll probably serve it over noodles. The chicken thighs can be used in any meal that uses chicken. I can just pull it out of the jar and eat. It will be tender and the bones will almost fall away as will the skin. I'm feeling proud of myself for having done the work and gotten this done. Next up: I'm going to can some cole slaw. I think it's going to be delish and a fun and handy thing to have on my shelves. 

My "new" (refurbished) food processor has arrived. My old food processor was a Kitchen Aid and it lasted more than 10 years, so I turned again to Kitchen Aid. By buying refurbished, I saved at least 40% on the price and It arrived, very well packed, at my door. I am really pleased to have it, I'll be giving it a workout in the next day or so. 

Doing this canning has forced me into the garage. Like everywhere else in the house, it is covered in dog hair. To keep the canner pot free of dust, etc., I store it with the lid upside down on the pot. And I certainly do not have room for it in the house, so it's in the garage. It was quite an adventure trying to get all the dog hair off the exterior of the pot and off the lid. I buy artificial sweetener in bulk--like 2500 packets in a big cardboard box. Then I just refill a smaller container as needed for inside. I performed that little operation a few days ago. Now to use it, I have to pick small tufts of dog hair off the individual packets as I get ready to use them. 

I also store my canning jars in the garage. I sort them when I take them out there. I keep the boxes they come in for this. When I store them, I sort them by type of jar, quarts in one box, pints in another and so on.  The roommate just took jars out there and plopped them down in random places all over the garage. It was quite a treasure hunt trying to find empty jars to use for all that chicken.

Now I have a massive kitchen clean up to tackle. Later..........

prep-a-day, can-a-day

I ran across an idea on the 'net a few days ago that I think is going to prove helpful to me. I love canning food for longer term storage and ease of meal prep. I love knowing I'm eating tonight's dinner made with ingredients purchased at yesterday's prices. However, I'd be lying if I tried to tell you I found it easy. For me, prepping the stuff is the worst. It's hours of slicing and chopping, usually standing on these aged feet of mine. Generally, by the time I get all that done, I'm worn to a frazzle. Then I still face a couple of hours, bringing the canner up to temp, venting it, watching the canner for however long (up to 90 minutes in the case of meat), turning it off, waiting for the pressure to go down, and pulling the jars out of the canner. By the time I hit the finish line, I often feel too tired, too sore, to make the "long" walk to my bed..

What I discovered is that there are people who actually make all that a two-day process. I've done that once just because I simply could not go on. But, I always felt I had done something "wrong". And now I've discovered there are ladies who actually plan to do it that way. I am a convert, starting tomorrow. That chicken I've been trying to thaw for a week seems to be making progress. Tomorrow I will cut a bunch of chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, chopping some shallots, and mixing up some "juice" to fill the jars with, The next day I will actually fill the jars and process a bunch of jars of Chicken Dijon." I'm pretty jazzed about this.

Are you guys buying a bunch of stuff right now. If you can do it for cash, you should be. It's the only hedge on inflation most of us have. Prices on EVERYTHING are going up. Here are just a couple of examples: 1) I love pasta with clam sauce. I used ti be able to get a can of minced clams for $1. At my Kroger, the exact same can of clams is now $2.49. 2) When the weather is hot, I love drinking a mocha frappuccino. My recipe calls for Nesquik. I used to get a 42 oz container of Nesquik for $7.99. Sometimes I could even catch a sale for $6.99 and then I'd stock up. They are reducing the package size to 38 ounces and the price is now $8,49. 

So, if you have a few extra bucks, pull out your grocery store ads, see what's on sale this week, and buy extra. The only proviso is make sure what you're buying is stuff you actually eat. 

So much for Walmart...........

Beware. I ordered a 12.X gallon trashcan with a step on pedal to open it. I got a 12.x gallon trashcan but a rolltop lid to a 13 gallon trashcan. This arrived in 4 pieces. There are no directions as to how to assemble the 4 pieces into one functional item, and even if there were instructions, the rolltop lid will never function with the step on pedal. If I were a different person, the box I received the pieces in is so large, I could easily have put the roommate in it. In itself, the box is heavy. I checked their website which instructs I'm supposed to insure the trashcan and mail it back to them. Now, how the heck can I accomplish that? I can't. So, I have decided to try to make what I have work. But, I do feel it no longer offers the functionality for which I paid. Bit of a rip, I'd say............

One of the great downfalls of the roommate was her opinion that she was the expert on all things and therefore should be in control of all things in the house. Here's an example: Along the way I began to notice the formation of a layer of ice on my coffee cream. That had never happened before. I would have to shake the container to break up the icy layer or I just couldn't have any cream in my coffee. I began shaking the container close to her ear. She denied all knowledge of why, suddenly, I should have this "problem" with my cream. Finally, I remarked on it again and she decided to tell me that she'd decided that her stuff was not keeping long enough in the fridge so she adjusted the temperature controls. I was shocked. Not her fridge, not her kitchen, not her house, not her place to do that without asking, as far as I'm concerned. I kept my peace and when she was out of the house, I attempted to adjust the fridge back to where it had been for YEARS. I managed to get rid of the ice layer in my cream.

I've since decided I must not have adjusted it enough. You see, early last week I pulled some chicken breasts from the outside freezer and put them in the fridge to thaw. I had planned to can those chicken breasts on Wednesday. I checked every day and every day those chicken breasts were still frozen solid. In fact, just last night, for the first time I noticed a little bit of give when I pushed on the meat. Have you ever heard of it taking a week for meat to thaw in a fridge? Short of a very large turkey I can't conceive of such a thing. Not only is this an irritant, but I can't help but wonder what it's done to the power bill. 

Do you remember when I had my little "pantry on wheels" built. It's just deep enough for one can. It's as high as my fridge and tucks in nicely between the side of the fridge and the end of the countertop/cupboards. I argued with the know-it-all guy who built it that two wheels were not enough, but he was another of those folks blessed by God to always know best. So, when loaded from top to bottom, it is unstable.  The other night, my vegetable peeler fell between the fridge and the cupboard, behind the movable pantry. I pulled the pantry out and tried to get at the veggie peeler. Couldn't reach it. Scared to try in case the rolling pantry tipped over. I pulled the pantry out and unloaded the top 4 shelves, leaving 5 shelves of canned goods and condiments on the pantry to weight it down. I pulled the rolling pantry all the way out of its little cubby and used the Flylady mop to pull the peeler out. To my surprise, I saw my canning ladle back in there. 

Now, a canning ladle is a real help when filling canning jars. A canning ladle is oversized, filling a canning jar with just 2-3 scoops (for pint jars). It gets the job of filling the jars done quickly and with less mess. I've been missing my canning ladle for several months. Yes, when it disappeared, I asked the roommate about it. No, in that she is faultless, of course she didn't know a thing about my missing canning ladle. Ha! The canning ladle is made in two pieces. Well, it used to be. Now, half the handle is gone. It has to be behind or under the fridge. And, of course, I cannot move the fridge. So, I'm gonna have to buy a new canning ladle.

The good thing about all this is that dirt and dog hair had accumulated in the area where the rolling pantry sits. I used the Flylady mop and wiped down all the cans and jars and managed to eradicate a bit more dog hair and crud from my life! I also wiped down all the cans and jars so that is fewer dog hairs to fall into my food when I'm cooking. And now everything is grouped on the shelves--soups with soups, veggies with veggies, fruit with fruit, etc. So, beautifully organized. 

Day after day, I discover new damages from her presence. The cost of having her here goes up daily. I'll never recoup that money. I'm going to ask God to help out on this stuff. I only let her stay here because I had a house with 3 bedrooms and she didn't have a roof over her head. you remember--"if just a glass of water I place within your hand"...........

 

When last we spoke..........

I told you that I had locked the Roomba in the kitchen and let her run around in circles to her heart's content. Yesterday I took the steam mop out there and worked on the floor. Now, I've told you before that the roommate nested in the kitchen WITH her dog. I got my stubborn on and decided I was already having to scrub the stove when she used it as well as try to keep up with the water marks in and around the sink. I was NOT going to try to clean the floors out there. Besides, trying to do what I was doing as well as trying to clean the doors of the room as well as the fridge door, and clean out the microwave seemed like more than my share of the cleaning. It was NOT, after all, my dog making the messes out there.

Well I thoroughly steam mopped that floor. I first discovered that the Roomba had not been able to get all the hair, no matter how hard she'd tried. The floor more or less looks clean, but it's not. All one has to do to determine there's more work to be done is walk across the floor. I've never had results like that before, but I don't think i've ever had a floor that dirty before. Just looking at the scrub cloth attached to the steam mop was enough to sicken me.

And then I faced emptying the Roomba. And cleaning the beater bar. Great tufts of dog hair. Makes me so mad. I'm about to decide I really don't want another dog. I've ALWAYS had at least one dog for as long as I've been an adult, but maybe not anymore............

But, in the meantime, I'll keep chasing the dog hair which is only the visual evidence of dog dander. Dog dander is a much more malignant substance. We humans are not really allergic to dog hair, but to the dander that is shed with the hair and then dispersed through the air. I don't know if I'll live long enough to get rid of all the dander, but I'm beginning to feel a little bit better so I must be making some progress.

The good news is that I found a trash can that fits my budget on the Walmart site. It'll be delivered on Monday. I'm looking forward to receiving it. With the break in the upper edge of my old can, I am having a big problem using a bag to line it.

 

Hurting..........

Oh, my aching back. I woke up this way. Lots of pain just below the waist, both sides. I've also been having some problem with my left shoulder for a while now and it is particularly unfriendly this morning. 

I didn't do anything that a normal person would suspect to be injurious yesterday. The heaviest thing I lifted was the Roomba. I did bring the trash bins in from the curb. And, I did shove the steam mop around the small bathroom. But, I don't think doing any of those things would be deemed excessive. However, I guess it was enough to aggravate the situation.

Anyway, the hall bathroom is almost clean. There is an area on either side of the toilet that is too small for use of either the Roomba or the steam mop. Today I will put on some gloves and clean those areas and declare the bathroom "done". It's such a relief to walk in there now. You would not believe the filth I've cleaned out of there. Sweetums even left me several large empty plastic jugs to carry out of there. Those containers were too large for the small bathroom trash can, but there is a much larger trash can about 3 feet outside the bathroom door in the laundry area. But, we wouldn't have wanted to work too hard, now would we............ Better to leave tasks like that for the woman who owns the house who has 15 years on her...........

The sink actually looks pretty good. I'd say the stain is now about 95% gone. I'm pretty proud of that. And the mold growing in and around the tub has been killed by the bleach solution I sprayed on it. 

When Roomie the Roomba had done all she could in the bathroom, I carried her out and locked her in the kitchen. Undoubtedly, it's not perfect, but I no longer see mounds of doghair out there. If I can, I'd like to steam mop the kitchen today.............

 

Oh so much dirt

I do my best to avoid paper towels. Oh, there are times they come in handy. But, they cost money. So, I attacked the hall bath with microfiber cleaning cloths. I have not been near the floor yet, but I now have 5 of the 6 I keep in that bathroom in the laundry. They are shockingly filthy. I am so grateful I have a Hoover steam mop to use on that floor. I would have to take an extra shower if I had to do that floor on my hands and knees!

It looks like I might be able to recoup the sink. That horrible brown gritty stain seems to be yielding to vinegar. I soaked a rag in vinegar and pressed it down on the surface of the sink. I haven't fully removed it yet, but I did check on it and I think the vinegar is winning.

I pulled the shower curtain back to find another nightmare--mold growing in there! This is one of those houses that does not have exhaust fans in the bathrooms because there is a window in each bathroom. I don't know if that is standard everywhere, but it IS standard in Las Vegas. SHE kept the window closed, kept the door closed, and the shower curtain extended, thus trapping the moisture from her daily shower in the tub. What an idiot! Fortunately, it looks like spraying the moldy areas down with bleach water is going to take care of that. 

There are times in my life when I'm grateful to be as old as I am. I have learned a lot in my lifetime. Without having acquired a lifetime of knowledge, I'm pretty sure I would not be successful in this mission. I guarantee you, if I were 29, I would not know what to do with either the sink or the bathtub.

I have discovered she has pretty much killed my kitchen trash can. Suddenly the plastic up along the edge is broken. It's about a 3 inch vertical break which makes getting a trash bag in place extremely difficult. I'm gonna have to buy a new trash can. Have you shopped trash cans lately. They practically sing to you these days--and the entertainment is very expensive. 

I bought some zucchini at the grocery store this week. I wanted to shred some and make what I call zucchini fritters--shredded zucchini, eggs, flour and spices. I enjoy those. I pulled out my food processor to find it can't be turned on. I've fiddled with it til my wrists are screaming. Finally had to order a replacement. I managed to find a refurbished one on Kitchen Aid's website. Phew! Even used stuff is expensive these days. But, now I have a bunch of zucchini cut in half, waiting to be fed into a food processer that doesn't work and won't be replaced for 9 days. I'll have to hand shred those zucchini. In the best of times, I am lethal with a box shredder. I am lucky to finish a shredding job with all my knuckles intact. And that's before the ache in the wrist kicks in. I should probably just blend the ibuprofen in with the zucchini, eggs, and other ingredients..............

The world is my oyster

It is the most wonderful feeling to get up, look around at what needs to be done, and realize I can do whatever needs done at whatever time I want to. There no closed doors to keep me out of any area of my home. I don't have to climb over anyone to reach things in my kitchen. I don't have to listen to demeaning comments when I grocery shop. I don't have to deal with judgmental comments when I clean or when I cook. I don't have to time my laundry just right. I only have to worry about the messes I make. SO MUCH STRESS IS GONE FROM MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

So, with all this good news, what did I do yesterday? 

    1) A load of laundry;

    2) Fired up the Roomba and let her do whatever she can to seek and destroy crud on the floors;

    3) Got a bunch of trash out to the bins and the bins to the curb.

    4) Ate "real" food for dinner; I don't have to be satisfied with a hastily made peanut butter sandwich so I can quickly run out of the kitchen.

What else? I've been trying to pay some bills but have not been successful. I pay my bills online, and the bank's website has been offline for two days. 

I've been trying to figure out how to clean my bathroom sink. I originally thought it was "just" stained, like she poured coffee in there. No, it feels gritty, uneven. I hate to say it, but I think it's a combination of coffee and calcified toothpaste. I've scrubbed with Ajax and elbow grease, and it's not doing the job. The next thing I'm going to try is vinegar, on a rag, pushed down on the surface of the sink. Maybe that will cut some of the calcification..........

One thing I want to do is some canning. My goal is to do at least one session a week. I still have meat in the freezer that I want to be shelf stable. I am always conscious that my freezer is ancient. I am SO blessed that it still is doing a good job. I have two large packs of chicken breasts defrosting in the fridge. I think tomorrow is THE day for those. 

    

 

worn to a frazzle

In the last 24 hours, I have been on my feet in one way or another, more than any three days since this past November 14 when I got hurt.

I spent hours on my feet trying to melt a mountain of ice in the freezer. Then I stood for a long time, going through the entire contents of the freezer. Many trips back and forth from the fridge to the sink. Stood while I loaded the dishwasher. Then headed to the bathroom. It took me two complete scrubbings to get the mirror and the medicine chest clean. I wiped down the sink surround. That was both dirty and dusty (no wonder all my doors look so bad. You'd think she was mining coal.) I also made several trips to the kitchen with stuff from the bathroom counter that needed to be washed. She's poured something down the sink drain and about 3 inches around it. I trooped back to the kitchen for the Ajax to try to clean that up, though, so far, I'm unsuccessful at that. Then i carried 2 FILTHY microfiber cleaning cloths and a dirty hand towel to the laundry. Then I went to the car so I could go pick up groceries. And, since I got home, I've made 4 trips from the house to the car and back to the house to bring in the groceries. I've dealt with the contents of several bags, but I still have 5 or 6 more bags to put away. And, somewhere along the way I have carried gallons of water, one at a time, from the kitchen to the office for use in the evaporative cooler. And, that's just what I remember!

Quite literally, I feel as though my legs cannot support me for much more. And I'll bet you dollars to donuts that I'm gonna have fun tomorrow just trying to walk. Meantime, whatever else I accomplish today will have to be done in a sitting position.............

I have decided to comfort myself with the thought that I'm rebuilding muscle I lost during all those weeks I couldn't even walk to the next room. There's always a silver lining somewhere...........

Kitchen spills into Bathroom Day

Yesterday was supposed to be the last day of the kitchen cleaning. I did a heckuva job, yet, I underperformed. EVERYTHING is filthy throughout the house. It really demands discipline to stay focused.

I chose to clean out the fridge/freezer. Really it took me MANY hours to deal with the freezer. There was a mountain of ice along the back wall of the freezer. A mountain of ice in the container into which the ice cubes should have been disbursed. And one of the containers into which  I sort freezer stuff was trapped in the mountain. I spent hours with a hair dryer in my hand, trying to make the melt off go faster. Well, finally, it's reasonable again. Not totally spotless, but 100 times better than it was. And the chicken/pork container holds nothing but chicken and pork. Frozen veggies are properly sorted, as are packets of beef, and baggies of various fruits. The trash can is FULL--lots of unlabeled baggies bit the dust. I'll have to face dragging that out to the bin shortly.

I WANT to scrub down every surface in the kitchen, but if I'm to keep to the Flylady plan, I can't. But, the hall bath is a pit so I can certainly justify changing gears. I happened to use the toilet in there this morning. I glanced into the bathroom trashcan. I could count 5 empty TP rolls. That tells me it's been a VERY long time since she's even emptied it. After all, it would take weeks and weeks for a single person to use 5 rolls of TP and that's what I can see at the top of the can. Lord knows what's under there. And, my entire stash of TP in there, save one roll, is gone!

So, onward to the bathroom. And maybe i can get a few licks in on the kitchen from day to day.......... One thing for sure--I am going to have to see plenty of progress or I'll go nuts. I've already had thoughts of calling and begging my former cleaning lady for a single day, just to give me a boost. Like I have money for that..........

Oh, my GOOD Lord!

She is gone. I don't know where; I don't particularly care where. I am surely not gonna visit her. I hope she's not sleeping under a bridge, but, if she is, it's a result of her own bad choices.

I am still pretty much in shock. I have looked at the inside of the fridge multiple times. Before the roommate, I used to think my fridge was small. Then I lost half of it to her. Now, half of it is empty! 

And, there is so much to be done. Everything is dirty. I am tempted to feel overwhelmed, but before I let that happen, I have to go back to Flylady. Otherwise, I will just wander around in circles, bemoaning the mess and not having a single idea where to start cleaning things up or setting things to rights. But, now I can make progress. It was certainly not worth the effort while she and her dog were here. I have discovered a problem in the fridge's freezer, so I guess, since this is kitchen week, going after the freezer is a good place to start. Next will be cleaning woodwork (the woman had no idea that doorknobs and handles are meant to be touched, while wood is not). And in the meantime, I'll turn Roomie the Roomba loose in the kitchen to work on the doghair. My vacuuming duties will decrease with the hairy "horse" gone, and I can definitely spend less time wiping down the microwave and scrubbing the stove.

And now, to get started.............