Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread: September 10 thru September 16, 2023

[Illini Warrior]

in regard to DIY seed strips >> I use adding machine paper rolls - a glue stick for the adhesive - lay it out in the soil bed and cover with a light layer of wet sand - doesn't hurt to wet down the paper in addition to the wet sand ....

 

[briches]

Hi all! Haven’t gotten to read all of your posts yet, but it sounds like you have been busy.
Slow and steady continues here for me.
This past week I restocked some toiletries (mouthwash, hand soap, etc) and Tums we had used up.
Hubby has built shelves in our front (unused) closet, and I am slowly in the process of moving items to it (instead of shelves in a back bedroom). I am dating and rotating items as I go.

I am currently in a cycle of “we don’t need anything else” AND a nudge of “something is coming“. Lol
Anyone else?

I will pray on it. I remind myself this is a lifestyle for us.

Have missed all of your posts. Will check in later as I can.

Sheree - seeing one of my favorite bands/musicians tonight. He is from Tupelo. Can’t wait!

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Hi all! Haven’t gotten to read all of your posts yet, but it sounds like you have been busy.
Slow and steady continues here for me.
This past week I restocked some toiletries (mouthwash, hand soap, etc) and Tums we had used up.
Hubby has built shelves in our front (unused) closet, and I am slowly in the process of moving items to it (instead of shelves in a back bedroom). I am dating and rotating items as I go.

I am currently in a cycle of “we don’t need anything else” AND a nudge of “something is coming“. Lol
Anyone else?

I will pray on it. I remind myself this is a lifestyle for us.

Have missed all of your posts. Will check in later as I can.

Sheree - seeing one of my favorite bands/musicians tonight. He is from Tupelo. Can’t wait!

I'm with you. I don't see the need to add anything else other than what I use monthly to my pantry, and at the same time, I feel a sense of foreboding that I can't shake. Like something is coming, and it's gonna be bad. I know 2 more close friends who are feeling the same. Knowing that, I'm not getting the urge to stock my pantry deeper, at least right now.

Who is this musician you speak of? It can't be Elvis, cause he's done left the building, LOL.

 

[John Deere Girl]

It's a busy day of cooking, cleaning, laundry, and canning, but I'm thankful I have all of this to do. It's a beautiful day here, and we plan to enjoy it!

 

[nomifyle]

"I am currently in a cycle of “we don’t need anything else” AND a nudge of “something is coming“.

I'm feeling this too, and also making a push to keep the laundry and kitchen in good order.

I wanted to go to house church last night but my left shoulder pain kicked in and I didn't go. Its not constant pain but when it hits I can't do anything until it eases up, I have the same issue with my right shoulder too.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

It's a beautiful day, today here, too. Sunny skies and high of 85 degrees. Only a slight chance on rain this afternoon. We're no longer using our floor fan or AC, so that should see out next electric bill way down. Cary paid our bill for this month a few mins. ago. It was $138 and some change. Our highest bill for this summer was $140 and some change.

I'm doing laundry. If I had more room on the clothesline, I would do another load. It can wait til tomorrow, though. Nothing else to do outside, although it's really nice out.

I ordered myself 2 pair of pants and a top that matches both this morning from Blair. I had a $10 off coupon and free shipping.

I'm still working on my mid-month grocery list. Mostly fresh produce and milk. I might have to add more eggs, and extra produce for my salads. We'll be trying a new grocery store in another small town that's not too far from us. DS was telling us about it, and it seems they are cheaper than Walmart, especially, with their meats. It's where he and DDIL have started going to shop. I'd like to get a good deal on more ground beef to can. I've used up a case, and it makes me nervous that I haven't replaced it, yet, LOL. I really like the sound of this new place and am anxious to try them. Probably Monday. The tree guy is supposed to be here on Wednesday. It will more than likely take them the rest of the week to grind the stump and do all the cleanup.

 

[kyrsyan]

It is supposed to rain today and tomorrow. So no painting or other treatments today. I almost gave in to the urge to not do anything outside. The body was feeling really rough this morning. Honestly, it's not feeling much better right now. But I was stubborn.

I got the ground cover mat pulled, folded, and tucked away for next season. Then I pulled all the little weeds and plant leftovers and put them in compost. Then it was pulling the pinwheels and sprout protection and old plant labels. And getting each item to it's storage home. Pulling the soaker hose and doing the same. Then it was time to dump in compost/fertilizer, and use the action hoe to turn the top few inches of soil and mix it well.

This is going to be the garlic bed, so no thermal mass needed. I laid down the winter ground cover and anchored it in. Next will be marking it for holes and getting those cut. By then the garlic should be ready for planting.

Over the winter I'm going to buy a few rolls of the woven polypropylene ground cover that the farmers use. I'm going to use it just like the trampoline mats. Use the hot knife to melt/cut it to size, then cut opening in specific spacing to be used for crops that have those spacings. It helps that the garden beds are all similar sizes. I know it may seem excessive for a home garden, but weeding is my bane. It can absolutely kill my spine. Then you add the benefits I found in keeping the moisture held in the soil and it's a no brainer.

It doesn't look like we are getting door frames made this weekend. Friend's cat is getting neutered. Between that and his work schedule, and that his body decided not to sleep yesterday, it's looking like next weekend. That will give me time to work on other things, and get the house recovered from son's bad days this week, and get the winter garden bed cleaned up and prepped for planting. Maybe even manage to get plants in it and a frost cover over it.

Now to go find onion plants that will be mailed before November. And if the sun keeps playing peek a boo, I may go ahead and get some painting done. I'll have to look at the radar.

 

[nomifyle]

Nice day, mid 80's and DH is working on fencing, the cooler weather is allowing him to get more done outside.

I'm working on that pile of clean clothes. Two baskets emptied, a few more to go. Darn myself, I've found clothes that I could have been wearing. And here I am still in my nightgown.

 

[John Deere Girl]

Nice day, mid 80's and DH is working on fencing, the cooler weather is allowing him to get more done outside.

I'm working on that pile of clean clothes. Two baskets emptied, a few more to go. Darn myself, I've found clothes that I could have been wearing. And here I am still in my nightgown.

Judy,
Sometimes you just need a pj day! I stayed in mine most of the day yesterday.

 

[briches]

I'm with you. I don't see the need to add anything else other than what I use monthly to my pantry, and at the same time, I feel a sense of foreboding that I can't shake. Like something is coming, and it's gonna be bad. I know 2 more close friends who are feeling the same. Knowing that, I'm not getting the urge to stock my pantry deeper, at least right now.

Who is this musician you speak of? It can't be Elvis, cause he's done left the building, LOL.

Paul Thorn.
I have followed him for 15+ years.

I do find it intriguing that several of us are “getting a nudge”.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Paul Thorn.
I have followed him for 15+ years.

I do find it intriguing that several of us are “getting a nudge”.

We know him! The owner of our favorite Greek-Italian restaurant in Tupelo and Paul are good friends. He would come to the restaurant with his band and play all the time. A tornado came through Tupelo a couple of years back and wiped out the restaurant. He just reopened a small pizza place in its stead. Never rebuilt the large one. The owner always invited us into his back office and played classical guitar for us every time we were there. He's a trip and we know him well. Paul, I'm sure still comes to his pizza place, but we no longer go there. He caters to the young liberal crowd now.

 

[ReneeT]

Due to some things that happened earlier this year, I used from the pantry without replacing so will be building it back up. I need to do a better pantry survey and make up a list.

I need to get my days and nights back in order. I worked night shift most of my nursing career, and still have a tendency to fall back in to the piecemeal sleep pattern leftover from those days - even though it's been at least 9 months since I last worked. I didn't sleep last night, so I really feel like I want a nap right now I did at least get all the critters fed and watered - husband included; and the laundry is done up, so if I fall asleep in my recliner I reckon no one is going to be going around hungry or naked.

Daughter stopped by on her way home from Aldi to look for a vase that belonged to my Mama - I have no clue where it is, but will look around a bit more after Hubby wakes up. I offered to send her home with numerous other pieces of family bric-a-brac, but she didn't take me up on it, darn it!

Our walnut trees in the yard, and quite a few of the ones on the edge of the the timber did not set nuts this year - kinda nice not to have to run the obstacle course to get to the compost pile, but I will miss having the nuts to add to the pantry.

Tomorrow I have two Junior League football games to go to, but both are in the same town. I'll have to swap out t-shirts and sides of the field between games as the 3 pm game is a cousin's son, and the 5 pm game is grandson's. I better remember to take my cushioned seat - don't think I can take 4 hours of metal bleachers without at least a little padding!

 

[nomifyle]

I turned off the window unit in the walk in closet, it was 63 in there and we've not been running the unit in the front room much. The other two window units that run are in the pantry room and the she shed. Those will be going off soon too. The temps outside today are pleasant.

I'm still working on the clothes pile in the bedroom, it is getting smaller. And I'm finding things that have been buried for months. It will be nice when I've got it all cleared out and put away. We do not need to buy anything clothing related. I've got a couple of jackets that I made years ago that I can wear this fall, just have to drag out the iron and ironing board to iron them.

The kitchen is kind of on hold for the moment.

I got more steps in yesterday but my knees were killing me last night. Not so bad this morning though.

 

[nomifyle]

I've been watching videos about making an alternative type of bread using red lentils. Lentils I've got a pretty good stash, but not red lentils. The red lentils have a sweeter milder taste so I ordered some. Vitacost is still a good source to buy quality foods, as in non gmo. I just ordered a dozen one pound bags.

Now that the weather is cooling off its getting time for me to inventory the stored foods I have in the she shed and the cabin. When Dh was spear heading the pantry reorganization he seemed determined to take all the vacuum sealed jars to the she shed and the cabin. I would have preferred not to do that but that old saying don't look a gift horse in the something, I can't remember the rest of the saying. Well that is true, if I had really objected DH might have stopped helping and I could not do it on my own.

With the weather getting a little cooler I'm starting to think about making soups, mainly vegetable meat soups. I love soup.

 

[kyrsyan]

Rough start to the morning. My body wasn't just beat, it felt poisoned. Ugh. I just can't figure it out. And menopause is being a pita. Let's just say that a murder investigation would have issues in my house.

Friend showed up to help. He brought most of the vegetables I want. I'm going to have to direct sow red cabbage and hope it has enough time.

No doors today. Even if he'd had the time, it was raining.Rain today means no planting or cleaning or painting.

I got the tape. I cut the lengths for the gardenbed, and then cut it in half. I got one made. I'll work on the rest whenever my body insists on a break.

I made a large batch of hardboiled eggs. I don't know why but my body wants them. And they are a better snack than many other things. It let me find the eggs that went bad because the fridge died, and made room for the newest pile up. I'm debating trying quail eggs that way. I'm kind of overloaded on them.

Laundry. Lots and lots of laundry because my son went through all the towels. And got his bedding wet and dirty. I'm saving his weighted blankets for tomorrow or Monday. They take hours to dry.

He pulled blankets I had put up in bags. They smelled really musty. So I'm ordering cedar disks and muslin bags. I'm going to fill the bags with charcoal. Then place charcoal packs and cedar in each bag.

Dishes today. And prep for our version of shepherd's pie for now.

 

[herbgarden]

Aldis has red lentil pasta. Organic and non GMO. Good in soups.

 

[Barb]

I recently ordered more than $200 worth of clothes from Blair and they cancelled the whole order.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I recently ordered more than $200 worth of clothes from Blair and they cancelled the whole order.

Did they give you a reason why? I've got an order out to them right now, and hope they don't cancel mine, too. I've ordered from Blair for years and never had a cancellation. I order by phone, and they always tell me if what I'm ordering is in stock, or not.

 

[Barb]

No reason, just a refund.