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hopefully when my g kids visit next summer theylle walk into a brightly lit root cellar filled with preserved food . they are at such an impressionable age that the image will never leave their minds .
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10 psi for 90 minutes pam . i dropped some red pepper flakes into the bottom of each jar and nothing else . mostly im trying to get a cellar full of nonperishable food because altho im not really an alarmist the world economy is not looking good at all . theres a very lengthy story tonight on der spiegal news online about the failure of many stimulous measures in the last 7 years and the western govts have about ran out of corrective options . this old guy plans to survive . it isnt by accident that my new woodstove has a panoramic front door large enough to cram tires into . if the economy really went off the rails id have the best bartering material in the county -- i can make the booze .
ive canned beef before and it is fork tender when you take it out of the jars . some of the jars im running right now have two hunks of deer loin in them . i know thats going to be delicious no matter what dish is made with it .
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Canned venison chunks in quarts? 15psi? how long? any spices? Share the recipe! If you have a good marinade for jerky, rsvp.
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man . i cut / split wood for 5 . 5 hrs today , went to visit edna and ended up back at the farm discing a field for 3 more hours . i have the headache from h*ll . its from those infernal KO meds at the va . you know its some wicked stuff that will blank your mind in a matter of ten seconds . va called this am and asked if i was ok . they asked me if i remembered the results of the procedure . yea i did . i was not impared on the way home , just had some skagged out looking eyes . theyre still skagged out looking today .
oh well . skewed gabba levels or no , im building steam in the old pressure canner tonight for the first time in 15 years . hope no jars break . thats a real drag when your canning meat .
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Susan, I am just now learning that a sterner approach, when necessary, is far more effective that pretending it is all okay. Of course, they do get ticked off at me but I hope I am getting through in some small way that I am a human being with feelings...just as they are. I still must walk a fine line as I am a niece, not one of their children, & I live in their home.
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Vent away, Fligirl58. We know what you're feeling. It's extremely hard not to lose your temper now and then or get frustrated. I've had more than one night where I've had to leave the house (only to stand on the deck), and it was all I could do to not slam the door right off the hinges. More than once I've gone to my room for the night and cried for a half hour out of sheer frustration. Just yesterday, when Mom refused to go to the bathroom before laying down to take a nap, and I saw that her pants were soaked and so was her chair pad - and she STILL wouldn't go and clean up and instead laid right down in her bed that way - I just about lost my mind. It took everything I had to control my temper as I very sternly told her (once she got back up) that this has to stop - she may not like it, but she either has to listen to me and do what I ask her to do, or I will be hiring someone - a stranger - to come in during the daylight hours and make her go to the bathroom. *That* got her attention.

Just hang in there.
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My whine today is, why do people who do not deal with this disease always have to give their advice and opinion. oh just do this, and oh just do that, and oh don't ever lose your temper. They come over for a few hours a week and they know better than anyone else how to handle it. I guess I am just so exhausted today, I needed to vent
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Thanks butterfly and looloo! I was very relieved. I was so worried I was going to lose him. That happens soon enough with our pets, no need to rush it!
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Susan, yay! So glad he'll be ok. Give him an ear scratch for me :)
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That is great news, Susan.
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Thank you all for the good thoughts! My dog is going to be ok. He has colitis and should be feeling better in about 24 hours now that he has some meds on board. So relieved that it wasn't more serious.
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Captain, bless your heart..hate you encountered all the problems getting home, but so glad your procedure went well....

Susan...will keep good thoughts for your pup..and for you....hopefully it is just an intestinal bug. Good thoughts and prayers for all....hope everyone gets a good nights sleep
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Oh, and vet says not to feed him anything tonight, try to get a "sample" (ew...) and give him 2 more Pepto tabs tonight to try and calm things down in his gut. Now *that* was fun....this dog takes all other medicines like a champ, just swallows them right down. Not Pepto tabs. I had to shove them down his throat with my finger and stroke his throat so he'd swallow. Went through 6 tabs before I got 2 of them down him!
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Cap, glad your procedure went well!

Talked to the on-call vet tonight after the dog had horrible episode outside - I won't go into the disgusting details, but suffice it to say there were new and very alarming symptoms that scared the heck out of me. I lost a dog to Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia several years ago, and my current dog just suddenly developed almost identical symptoms, with a major step-up in the severity tonight. Vet says I can bring him in tonight, but to be honest, he thinks it can wait til tomorrow to save me the ER visit fee (bless him!). He thinks it's colitis, but not ruling other things out, due to his age and breed. So he goes to the vet tomorrow and hopefully, we get things fixed. I have to say, though, this makes me sick to my stomach. Last time I took a dog to the vet with these symptoms, thinking she had something that could be "fixed", I came out of the vet's office having to bury my dog.
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Capt I am surprised they let you out of the hospital with out a driver but you probably told them Aunt Edna was out in the truck to drive you home.

Hope if the dog is still bad see if the vet will give you some steroid for him.. I would hold the chicken just give him the rice with some plain broth. Meat is too much to digest. Ask Bobi she has had the same problem herself!!!!!!!!!!!!! As I have. it is not quick to get over. Don't give up on him too fast unless the vet thinks he has cancer but that is another story.
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what a day so far . done the colonoscopy , got pulled over driving home and a ticket for driving while suspended . i guess 3 yrs ago when i got the pill charge i became sr - 22 status . insurance didnt refile my sr - 22 in aug . got it straightened out but will probably still have to pay the 200 dollar ticket . still lucky they didnt throw me in jail for dui . im not sposed to drive after the procedure but i took the chance . i wasnt impared by mine and the 3 cops ' judgement but being up all night and then cranked full of KO meds had me pretty glassy eyed . they even checked my arms for needle tracks . glassy eyed = heroin usually . someone from the farm had to come get my truck , they wouldnt let me drive home .
the farm foreman gave me about 75 pounds of frozen , packaged venison so ill begin canning it this evening . i gave him 40 bucks for it but its worth considerably more .
the colonoscopy looked great , one small pollyp removed .
two steps forward and one step back i guess . had i felt at all impared today i wouldnt have drove at all . as always , be considerate to the cops and own your screwups and they usually reciprocate with kindness .. i told em i knew dam well i wasnt supposed to drive home . if id have lied or played stupid theyd have beat me all the way to jail . cant say id blame them . i dont like liars -- ill pay the ticket ..
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Thanks ladies....at this point, we've had 2 trips outside today that have been pretty unpleasant, but he's holding steady right now. Fingers crossed that *maybe* he's getting better. I almost hate to say it, because every time I think that, he just gets worse again. But he's not at all perky - he's pretty lethargic right now. Everything I read online says this could be an intestinal infection.
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Thanks Susan...and also so sorry about your pup....bless his heart...and yours...I'm not as atune to ailments with dogs...experience a LOT of stuff about cats...but I know their symptoms and such are not always caused by the same issues...

I keep reminding myself that I believe the closer you are to doing things right or the closer you are to something really good happening, the harder the devil will ride you....and I feel like he has a saddle and harness on me lately...I am bone weary...BUT Mama is happy and doing well, soooooo I remind myself of that as well and know that the other stuff is just stuff..and I need to file it away in the "useless worries" pile and forget it....it is so easy to get off track...and always seems like "someone" knows just which buttons to push...it is an absolutely glorious fall day out there so I am going to get out there and be thankful...Mama has been talking today...I am always so happy to see her like this...so all that other mess just does not matter...it hurts...but in the grand scheme of things, it just doesn't matter...
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Feel for you Susan - what we used to refer to as an AED, or Amazing Exploding Dog. Our collie cross, as she got older, reacted like that to raw red meat (not something I deliberately gave her, but she had resources…). Never did track down the reason for it. He couldn't have picked up a parasite, could he? Or a rotovirus? Poor little feller - and Poor You!!!
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Darn it, I wish we could edit our posts.

Dog will go to the vet this weekend if he doesn't get better. I've been on the phone with the vet daily and they say to keep watching him until then and continue the Immodium for another 24 hours - that there's a wicked virus going around in dogs around here that causes these symptoms. The problem is that he seems better for 12-14 hours, perky, playing, back to his old self - and seems interested in food, so he has a LITTLE plain boiled chicken and white rice (vet recommended) - so I think he's getting better and feel relieved. But within 30 minutes to an hour, he's back outside, getting rid of it in the most unpleasant way possible. (sigh) He has had all the "home" remedies recommended by the vet - immodium, chicken/rice, 24-hour fast, etc. This is horrible stuff. :-(
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Hope and CM, hang in there....we're always here to listen when you need to blow off some steam, and it sounds like you have a lot of "heat" creating the steam to blow off right now! ((hugs))

I'm thinking there's a black cloud over my head right about now. Dog is sick with diarrhea since late Sunday night and no idea why (no blood, nothing like that, just appears that nothing stays in his system for long), so I came home from grocery shopping to a MESS to clean up - and for once, it wasn't Mom that caused it! (Yes, all over the nice newly refinished hardwood floors - they got a real initiation!) Last night I found out my oldest son is considering giving up his parental rights to his toddler son, whom he never sees or even bothers to pay child support on. Don't get me started on that one. Today, my cell phone decided to just turn off by itself and now won't turn back on. Battery is fully charged, and I was downloading some music - something I've done hundreds of times without problems.

Just a small break, God....that's all I ask!
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Countrymouse, you're right...she asked, I think, because she didn't anticipate I would respond...lol...so I guess that was a shocker...and after, the lightbulb came on and it hit me...no one can change another person..they are what they are...I am what I am...and for now, I am the one here taking excellent care of Mama, they are out there having a blast living their lives and not giving a hoot or a holler about anything and that is ok...I can't make someone like me, care about me, behave one way or another...so I am going to let these folks be who they are and I will be who I am. I have told them that going forward, unless I call the social worker, I will not be needing them...this is our home and even though I know they may mean well, I am not allowing folks in here who disrupt the peace and enjoyment of my Mama ....or me.....

I finally got the VA thing cleared up and thankfully the appeal has gone through and the corrected amount has been adjusted and the retro pay has been deposited into Mama's account. While I started not to inform my brother that everything was done, I decided, No, that is not who I am. I am not hiding anything so will just let him know I have it handled. He was estatic..and said...wow, I'm so happy for yall...now I can visit and enjoy the visit... ????????? I'm guessing that means now he doesn't have to feel guilt or something...I don't even care anymore...
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Hope, I have observed a whole category of people who think they are good listeners when what they actually are are good talkers. They say all the right things, but if they get any feedback their heads explode.

Phew! Sister has just left the building so I can have my whine moment now: she apologised because the four week holiday she and her husband planned to book in January wasn't available so they've had to opt for the five week holiday inc. cruise instead. Five weeks, as she put it, being rather a long time to be away.

Whereas four weeks is neither here nor there..?

Lucky for some. Sincerely, the tour sounds wonderful and they should have a brilliant time. I shall enjoy it vicariously!
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After more soul searching, it kind of dawns on me that we really are in this alone....except for those who also are in it....I think I always had in the back of my mind that if I opened up to the social worker then she would have some kind of magical "key" that would enlighten me as to why I feel like I am so alone....I now find out there is no key..and for the most part...I AM alone...but it's Mama and me...so we'll be OK....I count on no one any longer...and that is why I have always been that way...seems it was right all along ...what was that saying...expect nothing..and you won't be disappointed....sorry, I'm a real bummer today and none of you need that for sure...but just sad discovering even the social worker is useless....
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haha...countrymouse, Mama is so funny, whenever someone comes that she'd just as soon not have to deal with she just goes to sleep....after they're gone she will open one eye as if to say are they gone yet??? haha.....yes, I learned a valuable lesson yesterday..that lady has no clue how to handle family dynamics...I guess I thought by her asking all those questions she actually wanted to know ...and I had some stuff weighing on me, and she wouldn't go away, so....I decided OK, if you're going to ask, I'm going to share...well, I saw really quickly she didn't want to know, didn't want to hear it and as soon as it got into that, she was all too ready to leave...it aggravated me then because she had gotten me stirred up and I needed to talk...but oh well...so from now on..I will stick to plan A...keep my business MY business and just roll on..Funny thing is ...Mama and I are just fine until people start meddling and messing with us...and they don't help...so from now on, if they can't be positive I don't need or want them here...

Captain, I am surely wishing I had a piece of that cake to go with my coffee right about now...
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Hope that social worker sounds a right pain in the nether regions! Reminds me of a health visitor I got lumbered with after my first baby - she'd come in, take up space on the sofa, drink tea and tell me all her troubles… I was too zonked to mind…

(I think your mother's possum method might be the one to learn from!)
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im up at 2 am , baking a rather large apple cake and cant eat a bite of it till about noon today . freakin colonoscopy this am . i followed the recipe as well as can be expected . i threw a handful of coconut in the batter . edna and i love coconut . ill just hit it with a heavy glaze instead of icing .
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That feeling where I just think I should assume a yoga position and hum from here to eternity..
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Oh wow Veronica....this new world I find myself in is so darn strange....As it turns out today, even though I told the social worker tomorrow, once she called back and found out the chaplain had just left, she said she would just head on out here...I could have stopped her, but decided ...sure, come on, the day is ruined now anyway...so she came..and she started with the questions, and she got more than she bargained for and she ended up looking like she was trying to find a quick exit..hahahaha...I have decided they have a "set" number of visits they have to cram in and so it was our day and may as well get it over with because the calls are relentless. Mama sleeps the whole time they are here..They will come in, say hello to her...try to talk to her and she promptly closes her eyes and possums (pretends she is sleeping ) the rest of the time...so then they're all mine. To be honest, the chaplain is nice enough. I like him a lot, I just don't get the impromptu visits...but after today I decided the social worker really doesn't know much about family interactions...and all it did was upset me, which is precisely what I knew it would do, so next time when our "day" rolls around, I will sit here, say yes and no and yes and no or whatever and then just stare at her til she gets the hint and leaves....the whole day pretty much out the window....

the social worker is not helpful for paperwork for the most part because I have already handled all that. I don't really know what purpose she serves...Today, right in the middle of our visit, her husband called and I could hear the conversation on the phone...she told him, is this important I am with a client...and I heard him yell very angrily.."yes it is important, I have had a wreck"..so she arose pretty angrily, excused herself and had to go retrieve insurance information for him out of her car...she is always asking...is there anything I can do for you? I know she means well ( at least I guess she does) but I often think in my head..yes you can leave me alone until I call you.....but that would be mean I guess....so the day came and went...sporadically interrupted by folks I could have done without...

And regarding the family stuff that drives me over the edge...I have decided that dynamic just is what it is ...there is no fixing something that other folks have no desire to fix and do not intend to help anyway. So I will putter along, enjoy my time with Mama and just let the chips fall where they may....feeling kind of pffft..tonight...
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Sorry, butterfly, didn't mean to interrupt your post! :-)
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