Prep Genrl Weekly prep thread- January 14-20, 2024

[Wildwood]

We still cook bacon and save the grease
We also use the same bacon bits...mostly in green beans...I also vacuum seal the jars in food saver bags for longer storage..

I don't vac seal mine but that is a good idea. I've figured out how many we can use before they go too far past expiration and buy six bottles at a time. I've snagged a couple of the little case boxes they come in and keep them rotated that way. When I buy them new, they usually have at least two years or more of shelf life before they expire and we usually eat them right before they expire.


Green beans on Christmas eve, years ago is what got me started using them in beans. My boys were still in high school and they are pushing mid forties so longer than I first said. Until a few years ago, they came in those glass bottles that I really loved. I think the quality was just a tad bit better in the glass.

 

[summerthyme]

Fedx is just the worst around here. Deliveries can be days late. Of course I do understand not delivering when the roads have ice on them, but that's not the norm that keeps them from delivering. UPS is different, they deliver regularly.

ST, is tumeric oil okay to use with the charcoal instead of Lavender oil, the smell of lavender is awful, but I'm sensitive to scents.

Sherree, I'm just not that organized anymore, I admire what you do, but I have been tending to take the easier way on things, or not at all. I'm old and tired.

I'm the same way with Lavender oil! To me, it stinks! But it has excellent healing properties, especially for skin irritation and shallow burns, and seems to have pain relieving properties.

But turmeric essential oil would be worth trying... it's primarily anti-inflammatory... may not have the same heal8ng properties of lavender, but probably would be an adequate substitute for lavender.

Summerthyme

 

[moldy]

Calendula essential oil also might be an option. I don't think it would smell as strong, and in herbal form is better for skin than lavender. Have you thought about manuka honey as a salve?

 

[Wildwood]

I'm the same way with Lavender oil! To me, it stinks! But it has excellent healing properties, especially for skin irritation and shallow burns, and seems to have pain relieving properties.

But turmeric essential oil would be worth trying... it's primarily anti-inflammatory... may not have the same heal8ng properties of lavender, but probably would be an adequate substitute for lavender.

Summerthyme

I go through a lot of lavender eo but I detest it...I just get harsh medicinal. My DIL walks in and swears it smells wonderful and sweet. I get this from a lot of people and while I don't get it, I do understand it. Scent receptors are like blood types...you are born with one type or another or maybe even a combo. You cannot change it.

My favorite all around eo is Tea tree. It is also a harsh medicinal scent but much more tolerable to my nose. Most of the time you will find tea tree soap in my shower because of everything it brings to the table.

 

[kyrsyan]

I don't like typical lavender. The scent actually grates on my nerves. In one of the CBD roller balls we have, I can tolerate it but it doesn't smell like most lavender. And then I ordered some samplers of lavender with my last essential oil order from Eden Botanicals. And I can handle those. None of them grate and a few of them are actually pleasant. All of which to say, I think it might be the additives or fake scents that some of us are reacting to.

This morning had an interesting episode of stupid. My county, and the ones around us, are still shut down due to snowmagedon. Light rain with freezing temps made the roads bad again. And as I'm getting ready, I hear a vehicle sliding on the ice. My mental thoughts regarding the driver were not generous. My thoughts a few minutes later weren't any more generous when I heard it again. Then I looked at the camera and realized it was the same idgit. When I moved the shades for the morning I saw my neighbor having a few words with said person, from her porch. The tone was interesting. The result was that the truck parked in yet another neighbor's driveway for about a half hour. Good thing. That driveway was clean and they couldn't park straight in it.

Anyways, time to work.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

We're still iced in, too. The road in front of the house is still iced, but idiots are still out trying to drive on it. Heard one car spinning out, yesterday. I don't think any deliveries of any kind are going to be made, until Monday. Walmart sent a text this morning saying their deliveries were on hold because of the weather. We're still not receiving our regular mail, either. My dentist office is closed, and I've tried calling and cancelling my appt. for Monday. These bites are still too bad for me to attempt any dental work right now. I need to reschedule. Schools and most businesses are all closed until Monday. Our temp is going down to 15* tonight with our high only 25* tomorrow.

I'll just be doing regular stuff, today. Nothing out of the ordinary. I still need to declutter and clean the 2 long shelves in the laundry room. I might get that done, today.

Everyone stay safe and warm. Prayers continue.

 

[MMWW]

Snowstorm prep assessment. I had what I needed. I didn't have internet for a day, noticeable worry but was okay. Isolation was okay. Two things troubled me. First, lack of freedom. I literally had no choice about going anywhere. Second, I worried about medical emergency access. We came through things are still quite messy, and the roads require caution.

 

[briches]

Snow day here again.

I am not sure how much I will accomplish today. It feels good to not have anywhere we have to be.

 

[kyrsyan]

Snowstorm prep assessment. I had what I needed. I didn't have internet for a day, noticeable worry but was okay. Isolation was okay. Two things troubled me. First, lack of freedom. I literally had no choice about going anywhere. Second, I worried about medical emergency access. We came through things are still quite messy, and the roads require caution.

Pretty much the same here. Lack of freedom - not so much. If I had to get us out, I know how to drive in this crud. But it would need to be an emergency to get me to take that risk. I learned years ago that while I know how to drive in this crud, many others don't. And it's not worth the risk to ourselves unless it is a medical emergency.

Here, medical emergency access may have been okay. I know the local PD was out and about, and was answering both emergency and non-emergency calls. If needed, they could have guided medical emergency in or gotten the people out to the main road for transport. Time would have been the issue.

 

[nomifyle]

I don't know whether it was lack of freedom yesterday but I was bored for awhile. I'm drowning in books but can't find anything to peak my interest. Finally it subsided.

The kitchen is coming along. I just did about 15 minutes in there and had to stop because my back is killing me, but I made some strides. Another good push and it will be in good shape.

Last night my lift chair, where I sleep, decided to stop working. DH had gone to bed but was not asleep. We turned it over and the wire to the control had gotten pinched. He put the new one on and taped it in several places to avoid it getting pinched again. Praise the Lord I have a good husband. My ex would have done nothing. I'm so blessed and I thank the good Lord for him several times daily.

I'm making spaghetti for dinner, he likes that. I still have some containers of the last soup I made in the freezer, I may have some of that.

Its 47 right now and the beautiful sun is shining, but in the 20's tonight. Freezing day tomorrow but the sun is supposed to be out. The sun makes things so much better.

 

[Meemur]

First, lack of freedom. I literally had no choice about going anywhere.

I try to have some house projects lined up. I'm laying laminate flooring in the last bedroom. On the con side, if I don't have something, I can't go out to the store to get it, but on the pro side, it totally engages me and makes me tired so I sleep. I don't think about being trapped in the house.

 

[kyrsyan]

Been another day that took much longer than I expected it to.

The town apparently decided that they'd had enough. They sent out their little street department bulldozer to clear the side roads through the center of town. So, technically, if I wanted to, I could go out. I'm tempted because we are under a boil water order for an unknown length of time now. The pressure in the water system bottomed out due to dripping faucets and a few broken mains. But nothing is open and I just really don't want to people.

I think I'm going to go make those chocolate muffins. I'm really craving chocolate at the moment. And I'd love a break from cooking dinner because it's going to be a pita and make a mess that I'll have to boil water for. Ah well. So be it.

 

[patriotgal]

We are in Florida. Flight was uneventful. Grabbed some supper. Headed to brb. Surprised grand with stop at American Girl store. She had $ saved so we are enjoying our ride with new dolls. She is a preteen so our doll time is probably limited. I am sure I will be carrying one of them while she carries the other. One of those tough grandma jobs .

 

[Meemur]

Thanks for updating us, Patriotgal. I'm glad that you arrived safely. Have fun with the grands!

 

[Wildwood]

I don't like typical lavender. The scent actually grates on my nerves. In one of the CBD roller balls we have, I can tolerate it but it doesn't smell like most lavender. And then I ordered some samplers of lavender with my last essential oil order from Eden Botanicals. And I can handle those. None of them grate and a few of them are actually pleasant. All of which to say, I think it might be the additives or fake scents that some of us are reacting to.

This morning had an interesting episode of stupid. My county, and the ones around us, are still shut down due to snowmagedon. Light rain with freezing temps made the roads bad again. And as I'm getting ready, I hear a vehicle sliding on the ice. My mental thoughts regarding the driver were not generous. My thoughts a few minutes later weren't any more generous when I heard it again. Then I looked at the camera and realized it was the same idgit. When I moved the shades for the morning I saw my neighbor having a few words with said person, from her porch. The tone was interesting. The result was that the truck parked in yet another neighbor's driveway for about a half hour. Good thing. That driveway was clean and they couldn't park straight in it.

Anyways, time to work.

There are so many different types and grades of Lavender that it boggles the mind...some are less offensive than others but those are the ones I can't afford. The opening order from the company I buy from is $10,000 and they are strictly wholesale to very larges businesses. I was grandfathered in with my comparatively tiny business about fifteen years ago when they hit the big time. I started buying from them when they were a small business and so far, they still honor their word and let me order. Every time I place an order, I think this is the time they tell me to go pound sand. I did have to agree to a nondisclosure to stay in good graces.

Anyway, they have lavender from several countries and several grades and types for each country...there are probably a few hundred different versions of lavender and they all stink...at the least the ones I've sniffed. I'm way out of my element there lol but they've always been good to me. Some of their sandalwood eo is over $2,000 a pound. They have every eo you could imagine.

 

[kyrsyan]

I can wish. My supply comes from a small company in CA. So far they haven't failed me and what I get shows no signs of having been adulterated. They've had things in stock that I can't get elsewhere so they are my primary for most things I buy now.

 

[Wildwood]

I can wish. My supply comes from a small company in CA. So far they haven't failed me and what I get shows no signs of having been adulterated. They've had things in stock that I can't get elsewhere so they are my primary for most things I buy now.

It's always nice to have reliable supplier. So many of mine have gone out of business or have been bought up by a bigger business to eliminate the competition.

 

[anna43]

All the talk about essential oils and various scents is almost enough to trigger my asthma. lol

Our "Christmas" last weekend had to be cancelled. Grandson arrived Thursday evening before the snow started and ended up stranded until Sunday afternoon. Highway was closed part of Friday and again Saturday. I think they got it opened but it drifted closed again. DOT website listed highway as 'travel not advised' until Sunday when it went to 'snow covered'. I still have nightmares about hair-raising travel on that highway with whiteouts, drifting snow, ice, blinding rain, near zero visibility fog, crazy drivers and am so so so glad I'm retired. In fact, the commute is one of the deciding factors in retiring.

My car had not been started since the 7th so I was pretty sure it wouldn't start. I had a drift just outside the garage door so could not back the car out to run it until today. I was very pleased when it started immediately. I had put a bill that is due soon in the mailbox with the flag up, but the mailman did not take it. So, I had to drive to the post office. Streets are 100% snow covered with sanding at the stop signs. I had no problems driving the few blocks. I turned the car off at the post office and didn't think it was going to start again so left it running at the grocery store. I had my extra key so was able to lock it. I was glad to get back home.

When I got home, I shoveled out around the mailbox (which I'm not supposed to do -- shovel that is) and my back is not happy with me. Still have to put the fitted sheet on the bed which my back never appreciates and do dishes which I've been putting off all afternoon and evening.

Yesterday I decided to move all furniture in the bedroom and vacuum under/behind everything. Everything includes four chest of drawers and a blanket chest. Discovered I could not move the bed so ended up laying on the floor to vacuum underneath. The bed is solid walnut so heavy without considering the box spring and mattress.

I have huge snow and probably ice cornices hanging off the roof which I need to knock down tomorrow. Low pitch roof does not shed snow properly.

Current temp is minus 7 with feel like temp of minus 27. Low tonight forecast as minus 17. We had another 2 inches of snow yesterday so I'm hoping no more for a while!

 

[moldy]

@anna43, please be sure to take your phone with you outside when you go out to knock off icicles. I have (or had) plans for the weekend, but it looks like I'll be helping DH with some stuff. I just hope it doesn't take all day. Two day weekends are entirely too short!

 

[Meemur]

Friday night: -5 actual, and I don't want to think about the wind chill. It's supposed to warm up into the mid-30s next week and rain, which will mean ice, so that's not good news. I will look for my slip-on ice cleats tomorrow and make sure there's a pair in the car.

Neither salt nor sand is all that effective for traction in freezing rain. Gravel is about the only thing that really helps under those conditions, and it's a bear to clear up, so employers rarely use it.

But on a happier note, the sun is now setting about 5:10 pm and will be lingering until 5:30 before I know it.

I have a ton of things to do, but they'll all wait until tomorrow. I'm going to finish scanning the news, take a quick, hot shower, and then go to bed. That's the safest place to be when I'm this tired.

 

[patriotgal]

Little groc store here in st Pete has great selection of turmeric, immunity mixes etc. also lots of buy one get one. So in addition to some fruit we grabbed some health stuff. DH is taking Turmeric and I hope that helps with his hip pain. Also hoping that all the walking we will be doing stretches and strengthens muscles not used to being quite so used.

 

[hd5574]

We heat with wood and have used wood ashes on ice for years...since we shovel the woodstove we have lots....will work under car tires also

 

[hd5574]

We ended up with 5 inches here in central Virginia the first time and then dropped to 5 the night after it stopped..that snow is basically still on the ground and we got about 1 and 1/2 inches...last night and today....going down to 14 tonight 12 Saturday night and 10 Sunday...the county has done a great job clearing the roads... we start warming up next week... can't wait...

 

[briches]

We ended up with 5 inches here in central Virginia the first time and then dropped to 5 the night after it stopped..that snow is basically still on the ground and we got about 1 and 1/2 inches...last night and today....going down to 14 tonight 12 Saturday night and 10 Sunday...the county has done a great job clearing the roads... we start warming up next week... can't wait...

Stay warm!

We got three inches first go round and maybe another inch on early Friday morning (not quite). So cold outside right now (for here). Thankful we can just chill at home all weekend with no place we have to be.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

We dropped down to 14 last night. We're at 18 right now with a wind chill of -3. It's going to be another cold day at 25 for our high. Wind chill will be around 12. I hope we warm up to our normal temps next week. Us Southerners aren't used to these kinds of chill downs. I've only been outside once, since all this started. Schools, businesses, mail, and everything else is still shut down.

I got all my household chores done, yesterday, that I had planned to do, and then, I decluttered and cleaned the shelves in the laundry room. That finishes off all the decluttering for a while. Maybe more this spring out in the mini barn. It really needs it. After all the decluttering and cleaning I've done, the house just seems fresher, cleaner, and better organized. Mission accomplished.

Not planning much, today, except getting back to doing laundry. I'm glad we never lost community water or our pipes freezing. I'm still glad I prepared just in case. We're keeping the bathroom faucet dripping with the cabinets open at night.

 

[kyrsyan]

When I woke up, we were at 9. It's 13 now. Son and I had a miscommunication about his bed tent. That led to a meltdown that he just wasn't willing to let go of. So I spent an hour cleaning his room. My presence help stop the escalation behaviors. And then having him help clean up the toys got him redirected. And having a clean room caused a lot of smiles. By the end of it, there was one more attempt to be grumpy that stopped dead at the mom look.

And man do I have a massive pile of laundry to get done. On low water pressure, during a boil water advisory. What a mess.

They scraped the roads and that helped but it's all thoroughly iced again this morning. If the bbq place is open, I might run out in a couple of hours. But it might not be because that county warned that they were shutting water off last night.. they were starting to run low and didn't want the pressure to drop to the point of needing a boil water advisory..

And if I run out, I'm going to see if the local hardware store has ice salt. If they do, I'll salt the drive and the intersection near the house. My brain has been slow to fire but I realized that if every household had purchased just one or two bags of ice salt, the roads would have been cleared much faster. Another "too dependent on government" form of thinking. Although I don't begrudge anyone the days off. And I'm looking forward to the warm spell.

 

[Meemur]

It's -3 with wall-to-wall sunshine. I'm glad that I don't have to go anywhere today!

I filled several more water jugs, ran the dishwasher, and then started a small load of laundry. There was another main waterline break south of me this morning, so it's important to stay on top of laundry and dishes, although I do have a collection of paper plates and bowls.

Main project for today: continue with the floor. Side project when my back hurts: pull the stuff out of the hall closet, install new backing boards for the closet rod hardware and a lighter metal closet rod. The former owner installed what looks like a cut-off stair railing, and the whole arrangement is starting to pull out and come down. It was nailed into scrap pine that is splitting. I painted and re-did several of the closets when I moved in but didn't get to this one.

Wishing everyone a warm and safe day!

 

[kyrsyan]

Okay, there is a use for disposable plates. I will be fixing that gap. I actually had some but after 5+ years of not using them, I tossed them. I think I'll just do a 5 gallon with stuff like that. For the once every decade weather events.

Boiling water is annoying. Then my brain kicked in. I'm washing pots, pans, and baking dishes in the sink. Then I fill them with water and let it boil for 10 minutes. They are then safe, and the water goes in the bucket to cool before going through the Berkey. Well, the 13 quart steel bowl I bought for canning. Then I left two of the big pots in the stove. I washed anything that could withstand boiling and dropped it in those pots. Ten minutes later, they are probably more sterile than they've ever been.

And running the oven helps warm the house some. Takes some strain off the heat pump.

That leaves a stack of dishes that can't go on the stovetop or in the oven. This afternoon I'll fill the two canning bowls with boiled water and wash through those items. I did go ahead and prewash those so that it will be easier to do the rest.

My brain just needed time to work through the practicalities. And bonus, all that boiling water definitely help the humidity levels in the house.

Laundry is going. I'd skip it if I could but son has made a mess of all of his tubes this week. Low water pressure means it is taking about twice as long. Once I get his stuff clean, I'll quit doing laundry.

Fingers crossed I will be getting a dressmaker dummy by next weekend. I can't wait to get some projects finished. And some more started. I'm debating getting one of the custom made fabric body patterns, and then using that to pad out the dummy to the correct measurements.

Nothing here is open. I'd have to drive roughly 20 minutes to get anything. I don't want anything that badly.

Son is still in a mood. Not sure why. It's a mixture of frustration and silliness. I'm hoping he will figure out how to let me know what's going on before it becomes a problem.

 

[nomifyle]

I slept in this morning, didn't get up until 11:00, which is about 2 hours later than I prefer. Slept good and was warm, although I set the thermostate low, I guess it kicked on from time to time. The sun is shinning and its in the mid 30's.

Getting close to getting done what I wanted to in the kitchen. When I get it all cleaned up I may try my hand at canning some venison in my electric XL something or another, says you can can in it. Or not. One thing I really want to get back to is dehydrating, the dehydrator needs a good cleaning.

Laundry needs doing again, fortunately we have not had issues with our water, yet.

Although I'm good with good strong coffee with nothing in it, I bought some organic coconut cream powder. It is delish in my coffee, a little pricey, but its a treat so I'll keep some on hand. I'm wondering if the cream powder is as beneficial as straight coconut oil. Coconut oil is good for memory, I can use all the help I can get with memory. My memory isn't bad but it could be better.

 

[kyrsyan]

Well, someone finally got an answer. The earliest the boil water will be canceled is Tuesday. I may go ahead and do a grocery run for disposable dishes to get through the rest of this.

 

[hd5574]

They changed our weather forecast and we are going down to single digits again tonight..so we will set up the small space heater in the well house again and add extra heat in the kitchen to assure that we don't have any frozen pipes....

may start the dishwasher just before dawn as that will keep water running while getting the dishes clean as the temp drops to the lowest....another thought is to run a load of laundry at that time...

 

[briches]

Well, someone finally got an answer. The earliest the boil water will be canceled is Tuesday. I may go ahead and do a grocery run for disposable dishes to get through the rest of this.

I recently had “the nudge” to put together “kits” for dishes for when the power goes out.

I assembled two dishpans (one for soapy water/one to “rinse”) and in the two dishpans have stores some plastic cutlery, bowls and paper plates. dishpans were from Dollar Tree ($1.25 each). Other items were from the $1.00 aisle in Dollar General.
We don’t use paper plates much, and these will be left for power outages.

Now, one of my “storm prep” routines will be to pit the dishpans in the sink ahead of a storms just in case. We have water stored (as well as bleach) that could go in the pans if I didn’t have time to “prepare the dishpans” ahead of time.

 

[kyrsyan]

I recently had “the nudge” to put together “kits” for dishes for when the power goes out.

I assembled two dishpans (one for soapy water/one to “rinse”) and in the two dishpans have stores some plastic cutlery, bowls and paper plates. dishpans were from Dollar Tree ($1.25 each). Other items were from the $1.00 aisle in Dollar General.
We don’t use paper plates much, and these will be left for power outages.

Now, one of my “storm prep” routines will be to pit the dishpans in the sink ahead of a storms just in case. We have water stored (as well as bleach) that could go in the pans if I didn’t have time to “prepare the dishpans” ahead of time.

I got nudged not to long ago to test and replace my filters. I may find cleaning tubs that will fit in the five gallon. I may look for some collapsible silicon ones that fit the sinks.

I have water storage. Good water storage. But it's a pain to dig into for three days. I'd have to move quite a few things to lift it out. So as long as I still have tap water, I'll boil water. The patience is in waiting for it to cool.

I did a delivery order. Son is not in a place to go out. Half the stuff is missing. Ah well. I just remembered that I have some water easily accessible under the sink. I'm going to pull those and run them through the filter them again. Between those and what I've boiled, we'll be good. And that will let me rotate out those containers.

Son is crashed. His poor head. I hate that humidity shifts can screw him up so much.

 

[anna43]

@anna43, please be sure to take your phone with you outside when you go out to knock off icicles. I have (or had) plans for the weekend, but it looks like I'll be helping DH with some stuff. I just hope it doesn't take all day. Two day weekends are entirely too short!

I live across the street from a senior apartment building. If I fall in front of my house, a half dozen people will likely call 911 before I have time to get up. I cannot be seen in my backyard so taking my phone there is a good idea. I do not go out behind the house when there is snow PERIOD.

I spent the morning and early afternoon in the kitchen making a pot of soup and baking cookies. I went into the living room to watch Love of Quilting when I got a reverse 911 call saying our water was going to be shut off due to a water main break for an undetermined amount of time. I immediately jumped up and ran dish water, filled a gallon pan with water and went to the basement for a bucket and filled it for flushing. Both my Britta pitchers are full, and I have a 2 qt. kettle on the stove at all times and just purchased some water bottles which are in the laundry room. I also filled the bath lav with water to wash my hands. Guess that's about all I can do. I haven't checked if the water is off now. I have gallons and gallons of water stored in the basement for flushing but don't want to carry them the stairs until absolutely necessary. The stored water could also be used for washing myself and dishes if this drags out. Typically, we will be under a boil order for several days once the water is back on. Happens a couple times a year. Guess I need to dig out some paper/styro plates and bowls.

Current temp is 2 above with low tonight to be -8. We're under a wind chill advisory until noon tomorrow. It's supposed to be 23 above tomorrow then staying around 32 for highs the rest of the week. Unfortunately, rain is also in the forecast which means ICE. I hate ICE. You can get traction in snow, but nothing works on ice. Hibernation to continue! I do need to go to the library before ice comes as books are due and I've renewed once already.

kyrsyan - When I first had to boil water, I used my water bath canning kettle. I've found it more practical to use a large soup pot because it takes less time to boil and cools faster. On the other hand, when we had no power, I used my big canners filled with water and brought to a boil, turned off the stove and let the canners radiate heat back into the room. I have a gas stove so can light burners with a match, but the oven will not work without power. The stove is not on the generator. We have not lost power but if we get ice later in the coming week, all bets are off.

 

[moldy]

Not feeling fabulous today, so I've just kind of puttered around. I did manage to wash some fabric (I need to get curtains made - and I hate to sew), and do some baking. I am also trying to go thru recipes I have collected: today was cloverleaf cheddar-squash rolls and praline-topped banana bread. The rolls were good enough to save the recipe, the bread is still in the oven. Tomorrow is squash biscuits (any way I can to use up squash, as we almost always have a huge crop), watergate salad (can you believe I"ve never made it?) and maybe pumpkin whoopie pies with maple cream cheese filling if I get ambitious. And of course, still trying to list ebay stuff to get more things purged and the usual laundry, house cleaning, etc.

I'm tired just thinking about it.

 

[feralferret]

Had a nice relaxing Sabbath at my daughter's house today. I managed to finally get my computer here setup to properly feed the audio to the church teleconference so it was much simpler than the previous time.

My daughter lost only the tips of her fingers in the amputation, so it could have been a lot worse.

Weather cold but dry. Roads were clear and dry when we drove here last night. Several days of rain, some of it possibly freezing in the forecast.

Ordered groceries online for the first time from the local grocery store. Decent experience. Mostly got some stuff to hold us over until we go back Thursday or Friday. Wife made homemade Vegetable Beef Soup last night after we arrived. Big hit with all. I wish I could eat it without the onions and garlic making me quite ill. I really love it I also took advantage of a few items that were on sale for less than we normally pay. Oscar Meyer turkey bacon was $3.99 each. Best price in KC is Walmart and they recently went up to $4.49 each. Good deal on a pack of KC Strip steaks and on Ground Round (85% lean).

Glad I got my 20 days of no water out of the way already. I feel for those of you affected by the water system or pipe issues. One 80+ year old lady on the church conference had a pipe from her hot water heater freeze. Scheduled for repair Monday. Her granddaughter had the cold dripping but not the hot. She lives in an OLD trailer house with the water heater behind an outside access panel, not inside the house.

Everyone stay safe and warm.