New Washing Machine

For a year, we had a washing machine that refused to spin.  I needed a quick fix and didn't have several hundred dollars on hand with which to purchase a new washer so I bought an antique, or maybe just vintage, wringer.  Because I didn't buy the wash board, since the washing machine still agitated, we had nothing to which to attached it. But our laundry would finally be wrung out! 

At first, it was a 3 person job.  One person, held it steady on top of a saw horse. Another person fed the laundry in. (This was an art form to be learned.) The last person caught the laundry.  This only lasted a week until J did his laundry and found it tedious.  He built a stand for the wringer.

The first 5 months of this, I honestly wasn't bothered it. But after that, it got old. Our basement is cold making it less than pleasant (and let's be honest: I live in the First World so when I say something is less than pleasant, there are many people in the world who would love to be in my place).  Wringers also doesn't get out as much water as the spin cycle on a modern washing machine which led to almost every thing had to go through the dryer in the late fall, winter, and early spring. I also broke many zippers, buttons, clasps, and hooks.  On the plus side, my sewing skills did improve.

On Mother's Day, I was waiting for the liquor store in the grocery store to open. I took a look "For Sale" section of the bulletin board.  There was an apartment sized washer for sale for $125. I called and went to look at it. I asked a friend to pick it up in her vehicle. (I could have picked it up, but I would have had to remove the car seats, some things I had no interest in doing.)  J hooked it up and now I no longer have to wring out my laundry. 

Next on the agenda is an oven that keeps constant temperature!

Wrapping Paper Update

So my grand plans to save potato chip bags and use them as wrapping paper failed. I tried wrapping a present this weekend, and the tape wouldn't stick. So back to the drawing board.

Coffee

The mere mention of coffee is some circles ignites serious emotions. It's not difficult to find memes about how important coffee is to some people.

Some love it to a discomforting level.




Some come up with whimsical ways of expressing their addiction to it.




Some have a cute way of showing the variety of options from which to choose.





Until a few years ago, I wasn't a coffee drinker.  I would have the occasional late to combat a head ache that ways days old and not subsiding, but that was it.  I couldn't understand (and honestly, still don't)  all those people who  couldn't perform a menial task because they "hadn't had their coffee yet."  It felt like the last addiction that was socially acceptable.

(I don't have many smokers in my group, and those that do smoke, hide it.  Gone are the days of when smoking while in the presence of other people's children or standing in line is acceptable.  As the daughter of two heavy smokers, I greatly appreciate the lack of social acceptance of smoking.)

Anywho, a few summers ago, I watched my friend's 3 children for the summer. I also had my own 3 children to watch.  As if that wasn't enough, some times a friend would spend the day with us. It was a lot of kids: a 12yo girl, a 9yo boy, an 8yo boy, a 6 yo boy, a 6yo girl, and a 6mo old baby with another 9yo boy on occasion.

It was a lot, and I was tired. So I started drinking coffee.

I had known for some time that coffee is generally grown in warmer, humid regions that were previously rainforests by workers who are paid pennies if paid at all.  It bothered me. Why should someone work that hard for so little money and have their land raped so I could have a cup of fucking coffee?

So I went online and found some coffee is "Rainforest Alliance Certified" and  "Habitat-friendly Certified Organic Shade Grown."  What could the problem possibly be? Any guesses? Yes, it is expensive. So I drank it less.  A 12oz. bag lasted 3 months.

J, however, still prefers the coffee from the store: standard coffee with a flavor of Highlander Grog.  It is whole bean and more expensive than grabbing a can of whatever is sold in 3lb. cans but less expensive than my coffee. He also drinks it every day.  Sometimes though he doesn't take it all to work, but this never happens on the day I want coffee.

I noticed he would just dump the rest out the day next morning while he made fresh coffee for the day.  I don't care for waste so I thought about it. I started pouring the leftovers into a quart jar and putting in the fridge.  On my canning day, I would can it and have coffee for the emergencies when we are out of coffee and the snow it too deep to run to town or when the power is out. We have a gas stove so we can still heat it up on the stove.

That made me happy for awhile. Then I had another idea. After Jon leaves for work, I reuse his grounds.  I make half the amount he does. Once the coffee is made from the grounds for a second time, I pour the coffee through the machine so that the grounds are used thrice. I still have to add a ton of cream (not creamer, why the hell add all those ingredients to perfect cream?) and sugar because that is how I drink my coffee, but it taste the same.

After that, I put the grounds a sealable bag in the fridge.  Once it is full, I spread them out on a cookie sheet and let them dry.  Once dry, I rebag and freeze them.  In the spring, I mulch the blueberries with them.

I still buy the highly certified coffee. I use for when I make coffee first, Jon goes camping, or I make coffee after I drank all the other coffee; the last situation usually only happens when I have company. So that is how I deal with drinking something I know isn't the greatest for the planet.

A Confession of Guilt

I do many things in order "to save the environment." Many things. I have been known to dig through friends' garbage, remove things to bring home and recycle, feed to my critters, or compost.  I will rip up six pack rings that are in the garbage. I reuse resealable: the kind you flat out buy and the kind that shredded cheese comes in.  I carry (or I make my son carry) grey water from the kitchen sink to the compost to keep it wet and to hopefully extend the life of our septic tank. Much to my dismay there is one thing I cannot seem to give up: I drive a lot. Constantly.

A few years ago, I was without a car for two weeks. I rode my tryke everywhere.  Trips to the store were less frequent.  If I forgot to get sour cream for taco night, we had tacos sans sour cream. (I had hoped I would lose weight, but sadly I gained two pounds.)  I felt great about driving less.

The down side was I bought every things at the regular store because riding to the thrift store was a bit too much.  I couldn't make it to most of the farms I like to patronize.   One friend did give me a ride to a farm to get eggs so I bought 4 dozen.  Like a good poor person, she refused to take gas money so I bought her a stroller at a rummage sale the next week. Ahh, bartering.

Lately, I have been driving a lot. I have been taking the kids to museum or the aquarium, to see animals at various places that the Zoomobile visits, to farms to buy meat, to the skating rink an hour away.

There is a new thing to add to the list: the grocery store.  Yes, I have one within walking distance.  There is a smaller one slightly farther, and of course we have a Wal-Mart in town. I don't shop at Wal-Mart.  The smaller store is not open on Sundays when I do my main shopping.  They also don't have produce which is the bulk of what I buy on a weekly trip.

The main store at which I shop has been bought out by another company.  They upped their minimum wage to $9.50 and gave more people a week of vacation.   Sounds great, doesn't it?  But they also increased the prices of many things I buy.  They made some men trim their beards, and I am very pro-beard. They got rid of  overtime.  Everyone has to wear an ear piece now.  I have sympathy for people having something in their ear all day. It's annoying and distracting to have other voices in your ear all day.  I also get an ear ache when I use one.

A friend of mine has also noticed this.  She has similar feeling to me. We decided to drive 2 hours one way to a great store, Woodman's, once a month.  Their minimum wage is $11.50 or $12.50.  They also offer benefits. Their prices are great.  Their selection is fabulous.  They even have a wide selection of organic produce. We will also be going to Aldi when we take the kids skating once a month.

It's a lot of driving.  We carpool which helps, but I still feel guilty. But I suppose that is the price to pay to live in an area surrounded by lakes that provide fresh fish and wild rice as well as a home to many birds that my hubby hunts, woods that provide venison, small game and plenty of space to forage, as well as small family farms that produce pastured meats, fresh fruit, vegetables, honey, maple syrup, and hand made arts.

Darn it!

I am not picky about many things. But one of the things of which I am a snob is socks.  Yes, socks.

I was not always this way. I used to plain, white, cotton wear socks until there was little more than a few threads.  My toes stuck out at the top while my heals stuck out too. It honestly just didn't bother me.

Then I met J.  It was summer so socks were not a concern. As winter took over, my feet were always cold, with or without holes in my socks. J just looked at me and shook his head. He told me to wear wool socks. Wool socks? I had never seen them at Wal-Mart or Target. Where would I find said socks? He seemed baffled that I had never owned wool socks. I was shocked by his bafflement. Seriously, where are these wool socks?  In eighteen years, I had neither owned a pair nor known where to purchase them.

At the time J's mother, S, owned a store that sold high-end outdoor clothing.  For Christmas, I got wool socks. (And long underwear that were polyester which I found out is very important in choosing "longies" as I call them now.)  I was hooked! Now all my generic cotton socks seemed like little more than anemic impersonations of socks.

Fast forward a few years, and all those wool socks have holes in them just like my cotton socks.  J had always brought them to S who some how fixed them.  It was time to learn, and it proved to be easier than I thought.

1. Start with a sock with a hole in it.

2. Get a darning mushroom. If you are like most people living in 2016, you don't have one. That's ok; you can use many things. I use a mason jar. You just need something cylindrical that won't lose its shape when you apply pressure. You will also need yarn and a darning (tapestry) needle.

3. Insert the mushroom (or whatever you chose) into the sock turned inside out. 

                                       

4. Thread the needle and start to weave it into the sock. You will want to start next to the hole, not in the middle of it. 

5. For the next step, I used a different color for visual ease. Do they same thing in the opposite direction, weaving the yarn into the yarn already there. 

                                    

6. When I am done with that, I like to stitch a circle around your work area. Once I get back to the starting spot, I weave in and out of the stitches. 

                                       

7. Turn the sock the correct way and enjoy!

   

                                      

In Defense of Clutter

Many of the blogs and books I read are about people (some families, some couples, some singles) who are city mice trying moving to the sticks to become country mice.  I love to read about their adventures, accomplishments, projects, and mishaps.

One of the more common, if not the most common, project to do downsize.  People look around their home and think, "Do you really need all these things?" Honestly, no. People don't NEED much, but many things make our lives easier.

Our home is big, about 1700 sq. ft. without the 900 sq. ft.  basement.  We also have a garage that I think is a two car, but J insists that it's a 3 car.  He thinks if he didn't have all his wood and tools in there, it would fit 3 cars. I have my doubts. We also own a pole barn referred to as "the shed." It's a lot of space, and we use all of it.

My best friend, SC, has never seen my home. I have never seen hers either. We live 1000 miles apart. She  likes clean lines and clear counter tops so even though she has 2400 sq. ft. she often wants more space just so things don't feel so cluttered.  She has often asked me, "What do you have to put in all that space?"

Well a lot. We have 5 people in our home.  J's oldest son no longer lives here, but when he did, it was a household of 6. And we have taken in the some friends in time of need.

I also watch my friends' children in the summer. I have enough bikes for everyone who comes to our to play. I think we have 12. They are of varying sizes from toddler tricycle to adults bicycles and one (my) adult tricycle. We also have one of those bike trailers that little kids ride in. We don't just look at all our stuff. We use it.

People often come to home unprepared for outdoor play.  Have no fear: I have what you need!
*Some friends drove 400 miles to visit us and discovered their daughter only had nice shoes to wear. She also had no swim suit and it was summer. I had both.
*A group of friends came to play in winter. Not all had all the necessary clothes. I had plenty of extras.
*My friend's son outgrew his rain boots mid-season.  She came over and we went shopping in my basement. She found what she wanted and didn't need to spend $25 on new boots. She also didn't have to scour the thrift stores in our area to find rain boots size 8. I loaned them to her until her son out grows them. Then she will return them to me, and I will use them for the little girl I babysit.

That list could be almost endless.

Many of the men in my family (husband, dad, brother-in-law) do construction for a living.  They often build or remodel houses for people who are well off. They are the kind of people who simply get new appliances because the ones they have are old. They still work, but they are old.  We take them and store them in the shed.

When the oven that came with our home started to not hold temperature well, I simply went to the shed and got a different one. When the washing machine started to not spin well, out to the shed I went to get another one.

This past summer, we raised meat chickens. I was pretty excited. Butchering time came around, and I made mistakes and quickly corrected them. I learned to make pate and found out it is delicious! (Seriously, I hate liver, but if one simply adds enough butter and garlic, it's pretty good.)

Sadly, when cooking time came around, we were all disappointed. The birds were all tough and stringy. The solution? Cook them all in crock pot and can all the meat. So that is what I did.  I lined one of my counter tops with my large but short crock pots and cooked them.  When they were done, I pulled the meat off the bones and put it in a reused ice cream pail and put it in the fridge.  Then I took the bones and put them in tall crock pots, added water, and let that cook for a day or so to make delicious stock. I continued this process until all the chickens were cooked.

Once they were all cooked, it was canning day. My canner holds 20 pints at once.  This held most of the chicken.  In all I got 24 pints of chicken ready to eat. Then I canned the stock.  On it's own, it looked pretty anemic so I decided to cook it until it reduced to about 50% of what I started with. Now it looks so much better.

Why do I mention this in post about clutter? Well, most people couldn't do what I did because they only have one or two crock pots. I have 13. That seems ridiculous to most people. Not to me. I use them. I do have two that are the same size, but most vary in size and shape. They also vary in cooking  temps. I even have small owns that I use as air fresheners.

At this moment, I am cooking chicken bones in a tall, green vintage crock pot to make stock. In a tall white one I have a pork bone cooking also to make stock. In a shorter white crock pot, I have a (nitrate and nitrite free) ham cooking for dinner. In an oblong silver crock pot I got as a wedding gift, I have two beef bones cooking to make bone marrow custard (I have never made this recipe and am very excited about it). And a tiny one giving off the smell of Thieves Oil.

It might be trendy right now to downsize and purge, but I will stick to having all the things I (and my friends) need.

Fish Stock

Once of the many things I make and can is fish stock. I had been making it for a few years before I read a few cook books that have recipes for fish stock.  Although I don't add any spices or herbs to it, I felt pretty fancy for figuring out a recipe on my own.

Start with fresh fish. These happen to be crappies caught today by J.

Fillet them and they will look like this.

Remove the guts. If  you have birds, cats, or dogs, they will enjoy the treats. Other animals probably will too, but we have birds and cats. Also, I suppose you could save the livers to make pate, but they are so tiny, it would take too long to get enough to make it. But if you happen to have a lot of fresh foods (say, if you are on a very successful fish trip), it might be worth it. 

Take this whole part and either boil it now or put in a bag.  To that bag, add the skins and ribs. 

Put the bag in the freezer until you have enough to make stock. I usually use an old tortilla bag (I have never made a good home made tortilla); when it's full I put the scrap in a spaghetti pot. Fill it with water and boil. I tend to boil it for at least an hour. Strain it. Use it immediately, freeze it, or can it. I can it and use it to make fish chowder. 

To be honest, this will make your house stink. If you can make it outside, I highly recommend it.  I don't have an out door kitchen; so I usually make apology brownies when it's all done. 

Fillets. 

Cook, freeze, or can the fillets.