Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread: April 25 ~ May 1, 2021

[SouthernBreeze]

Since I'm not a minimalist I like to have a selection of clothes to chose from. I have many things to chose from in different sizes (depending on my weight) and no I am not donating any of them. When I lost weight several years ago I did give away a lot of tops and now I need them, I'll not make that mistake again. Heck I've got clothes older than any of my grandchildren.

I have to admit, Judy, I have a weakness for pretty clothes. When I was younger, I had to have all the latest styles and fashions, and was good at having closets full of clothes. I would lose weight, give clothes away (Salvation Army) , then gain it back. Lose, and gain it back. I've done this so many times, it's not funny, anymore. Now that I'm older and more reserved, I don't look so much at fashion anymore, but what fits good and is practical for my lifestyle now. After making another big donation of my clothes to the Salvation Army a few weeks ago, I thought to myself that I'm not doing this anymore. Clothes may be in short supply in the near future, and I might needs these later on. My weight is staying pretty consistent now, and a few vanity pounds doesn't matter to me anymore. I'm not getting rid of any more of my clothes.

We were in Tractor Supply a week or so ago, and they still had their sale going on ladies Carhartt v-neck, short sleeved, solid colored tees. I bought 3 more of those (a total of 6 now). I'll be wearing these for a long time. The quality is very good on all the Carhartt clothing Cary and I have bought over the years. I doubt I'll be buying any more clothes for myself for this summer. These tees can be worn with skirts or jeans. I prefer skirts and sundresses during the summer, but do wear jeans occasionally. Tees can also be layered with a jacket in the cooler months as well.

 

[Digger]

Yesterday was a good day. We got 4 inches of rain beginning Wednesday into Thursday. We needed rain though. My son and grandson came for a short visit. The little guy approved of the swing we added to the porch. They brought me an early mother's day gift, a hanging flower basket for the porch and a corkscrew willow tree. We have to add another hook under the porch to hang the basket and decide on a good spot for the tree.

After the kids left, we loaded up to go put out flowers where my parents, sister, and other relatives are buried. We enjoyed the scenery after the big rain and made a couple of stops on the way. We visited my cousins that are in their 70s. We talk on the phone, but it is not like seeing them face to face. Decoration is Sunday, but there is a 70% chance of rain. Our family is not doing a family dinner this year again so we decided to do our trip early.

We came a different way home. The home trip took us 21-22 miles on Interstate 40. I counted the west bound semitrucks as we went east. There were 54 that we saw. That seems like a low number. The traffic was very light. Hubby said it could be because it was 10:00 at night, but we have seen it much heavier at that hour or even later. Even the car traffic was light.

Today we have to set up for a bee hive. We pick up our bees in the morning early. I hope the bears stay out of them this year. Bears have gotten to be a real problem and it is costing too much money.

 

[Meemur]

Cut my front lawn for the first time last night. I kept thinking about Dennis and set a lawn chair on the sidewalk. I made myself rest periodically. It's not a huge lawn, but I have a heavy mower and the yard is slightly sloped. Glad I did that! I'll have to build up to that chore slowly. I did some weight training over the winter. My arms were fine but the backs of my legs aren't happy with me this morning.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

We have 1.25 acres that have to be mowed, and when we were younger, we mowed it all with a self propelled push mower. There is no way we can do that anymore. It would break both of us down. I'm still praying that Cary can find all the parts for the lawn tractor, so he can get it put back together, before the yard needs mowing again. We have lots of snakes here every summer, and we can't afford to let the grass get too high. I dreamed the other night that our doggie got bit by a rattlesnake!

 

[philkar]

Cut my front lawn for the first time last night. I kept thinking about Dennis and took set a lawn chair on the sidewalk. I made myself rest periodically. It's not a huge lawn, but I have a heavy mower and the yard is slightly sloped. Glad I did that! I'll have to build up to that chore slowly. I did some weight training over the winter. My arms were fine but the backs of my legs aren't happy with me this morning.

Exactly how I feel after the first planting in the garden. And every year I do more to prepare myself for that first planting or weeding and every year it hurts more! ARRRGH!

 

[nomifyle]

I have to admit, Judy, I have a weakness for pretty clothes. When I was younger, I had to have all the latest styles and fashions, and was good at having closets full of clothes. I would lose weight, give clothes away (Salvation Army) , then gain it back. Lose, and gain it back. I've done this so many times, it's not funny, anymore. Now that I'm older and more reserved, I don't look so much at fashion anymore, but what fits good and is practical for my lifestyle now. After making another big donation of my clothes to the Salvation Army a few weeks ago, I thought to myself that I'm not doing this anymore. Clothes may be in short supply in the near future, and I might needs these later on. My weight is staying pretty consistent now, and a few vanity pounds doesn't matter to me anymore. I'm not getting rid of any more of my clothes.

We were in Tractor Supply a week or so ago, and they still had their sale going on ladies Carhartt v-neck, short sleeved, solid colored tees. I bought 3 more of those (a total of 6 now). I'll be wearing these for a long time. The quality is very good on all the Carhartt clothing Cary and I have bought over the years. I doubt I'll be buying any more clothes for myself for this summer. These tees can be worn with skirts or jeans. I prefer skirts and sundresses during the summer, but do wear jeans occasionally. Tees can also be layered with a jacket in the cooler months as well.

I look for quality also and I find more of that at thrift stores and ebay than I could in new stores that I might be tempted to buy from, somewhere I can afford. I, too, have some carhartt shirts and even a pair of jeans, although in a couple of sizes smaller than I am right now. I want something that fits properly, right now its loose to cover my fat middle. I won't give up trying to lose weight. The carhartt shirts are probably 15 years old and they are wearing well. since I have a nice selection I really don't wear anything out.

As for fashion, I've noticed women at church that wear these long flowing jacket looking things over another top. Nah, not my thing. I'm a nice blouse and jeans person. I dress it up with jewelry. A nice color coordinated necklace, earrings and bracelets, sometimes a single bracelet and sometimes an arm full, depending on my mood. I got into jewelry making a couple of years or so ago and made lots of things to match my clothes. I have huge stacks of jewelry making beads that I've been lose to moving to the she shed, but now that I have new blouses I might need to pull them out and make some new things or not, who knows.

I live in a relatively small world here in the woods of Louisiana and it suits DH and I well. I haven't been to New Orleans in three years and am not looking to go back. And going to Illinois is probably not going to happen again either, too much crap going on out there. We are enjoying going back to church and interacting with the folks there seems to be all we need.

God is good all the time

Judy

 

[moldy]

I have a hard time finding nicer clothes - I usually am just in jeans or scrubs. It's hard to find something for middle age women - not tight or overly youngish, not a shroud - LOL!! And yes, most everything that is older is better made (not people, well, uh....) like machines and clothing.

I have been spending way too much time online, but there are some really cool things out there. Collard Valley Cooks is amazing - she cooks like her mama or granny and has daily Bible studies that are uplifting to me. HOME

Grandma Donna I've mentioned before. She and her husband try to live like the 1930s. Lots of good ideas. I was especially impressed with her most recent blog post. We each can change.... - Living Like the Past - gDonna's Generations Before Us

Have a good day, ya'll. I've got to get busy doing stuff.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I look for quality also and I find more of that at thrift stores and ebay than I could in new stores that I might be tempted to buy from, somewhere I can afford. I, too, have some carhartt shirts and even a pair of jeans, although in a couple of sizes smaller than I am right now. I want something that fits properly, right now its loose to cover my fat middle. I won't give up trying to lose weight. The carhartt shirts are probably 15 years old and they are wearing well. since I have a nice selection I really don't wear anything out.

As for fashion, I've noticed women at church that wear these long flowing jacket looking things over another top. Nah, not my thing. I'm a nice blouse and jeans person. I dress it up with jewelry. A nice color coordinated necklace, earrings and bracelets, sometimes a single bracelet and sometimes an arm full, depending on my mood. I got into jewelry making a couple of years or so ago and made lots of things to match my clothes. I have huge stacks of jewelry making beads that I've been lose to moving to the she shed, but now that I have new blouses I might need to pull them out and make some new things or not, who knows.

I live in a relatively small world here in the woods of Louisiana and it suits DH and I well. I haven't been to New Orleans in three years and am not looking to go back. And going to Illinois is probably not going to happen again either, too much crap going on out there. We are enjoying going back to church and interacting with the folks there seems to be all we need.

God is good all the time

Judy

Oh, I don't even want to get into the shoes and jewelry aspect of my wardrobe, LOL! Drove Cary nuts. With each new outfit, I always had to have jewelry and shoes to match. Not anymore! I have my basic jewelry I still wear and a closet full of shoes. I still have a "thing" for shoes, though, but it's because I'm so hard to fit. I buy them when I find them to fit my feet if I come across some I like. Cary understands the shoe thing, but says, "NO", to me buying any more jewelry. I never wear even half of what I already have. Just the basics.

We still like to dress up a bit when we go to town for whatever reason that might be. We're going to visit my aunt and uncle tomorrow, and she has a thing for fashion. I'll dress up a bit for the trip. She's fun to go shopping with!

We don't have to really dress up for church. We have a home fellowship/ Bible study in our home every Sunday, and it's a come as you are affair as long as it's decent and moral.

 

[Meemur]

Exactly how I feel after the first planting in the garden. And every year I do more to prepare myself for that first planting or weeding and every year it hurts more! ARRRGH!

I split my planting into two days, and it wasn't that much, just the potatoes for now. The herbs are in raised beds. I cleaned those out and they were good to go. The grass cuttings are mixed with leaves and will go over the potatoes as the first layer of mulch. I cut it finely so if we get any rain, that will turn into soil by the end of the summer.

 

[Meemur]

We have 1.25 acres that have to be mowed, and when we were younger, we mowed it all with a self propelled push mower.

Wow! Yes, I hope he can get the lawn tractor going. I could do that much, but it would take several days! By the time I finished, it would be time to start over.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Wow! Yes, I hope he can get the lawn tractor going. I could do that much, but it would take several days! By the time I finished, it would be time to start over.

It's still a lot of work, and we try to keep it mowed down low, because of the snake issue. Sometimes, it gets mowed twice a week if we have a lot of rain.

 

[nomifyle]

Oh, I don't even want to get into the shoes and jewelry aspect of my wardrobe, LOL! Drove Cary nuts. With each new outfit, I always had to have jewelry and shoes to match. Not anymore! I have my basic jewelry I still wear and a closet full of shoes. I still have a "thing" for shoes, though, but it's because I'm so hard to fit. I buy them when I find them to fit my feet if I come across some I like. Cary understands the shoe thing, but says, "NO", to me buying any more jewelry. I never wear even half of what I already have. Just the basics.

We still like to dress up a bit when we go to town for whatever reason that might be. We're going to visit my aunt and uncle tomorrow, and she has a thing for fashion. I'll dress up a bit for the trip. She's fun to go shopping with!

We don't have to really dress up for church. We have a home fellowship/ Bible study in our home every Sunday, and it's a come as you are affair as long as it's decent and moral.

I have nice gold or white gold jewelry, but I put it away and wear what I call the fun stuff. I wore gold loop earings with a diamond stud as a second one for years and years. Then before Katrina I started wearing the fun stuff and one day I laughed and said to myself "at least when I was wearing the same thing all the time I didn't have to make a decision every day." Then Katrina came along and I did not take my fun stuff with me and of course it was lost along with most everything else. So I wore the good stuff for a good while and then I went back to the fun stuff, you can find a lot of cute stuff at thrift stores. And then I got the bug to make jewelry, so now I have a ton of fun jewelry. LOL and then there is the question of just how much do you need.

We don't really dress for church either, the church I went to before moving to the woods I wore knee length shorts, t-shirts and flip flops. I did that one time here and felt really out of place. Ten years ago women around here were still wearing stockings to church, they have since come to their senses. My motto is clean, neat and tidy and it works for me. I rarely see anyone wearing a dress.

God is good all the time

Judy

 

[nomifyle]

It's still a lot of work, and we try to keep it mowed down low, because of the snake issue. Sometimes, it gets mowed twice a week if we have a lot of rain.

snake away works wonders for keeping snakes away. DH was seeing a few last year and he put out the snake away. Without Dh I would weed eat around the house and that would be it.

God is good all the time

Judy

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Gotta run. Cary's doctor appointment is in 1 1/2 hour, then on to Scrugg's (John Deere dealership in town) and Sam's!

 

[mecoastie]

Up and down last couple days. New litter of rabbits this morning. 6 happy and healthy from what I can tell. New mom so we wait and see. Got the rack finished for them so we will move that in and pull the old one out so I can update it. Biden signs make good poop chutes. Got the steel plate for the syrup evaporator. It covers the top of the arch. I want so if need be I can convert the evaporator into a wood stove. New tires for the truck. Chugging away on the garden. I have figured out what i need for parts for the James washer. The bad. Our rescue hound bit my son this morning for no reason (that we can determine) and with no warning. Not a bad bite but I cant have that. She has to go. Its killing me as I am a dog person and she wound right into my heart. I failed her.

 

[Meemur]

Mecoastie, sometimes cats and dogs have genetic problems that make them unstable! If you can afford it, have the vet check her to rule out a physical problem, like a rotting tooth, and if the vet can't find anything, consider having her put down so that she isn't a problem in another household. I've had to do that with two cats through the years. One I later found was from a known line with genetic problems. We worked to get that line killed off. Sad, but things happen.

 

[paxsim2]

My potatoes are bouncing back from the last hard freeze and they look good.
We are going to go shop for new fishing gear. I can't wait!
I've decluttered 4 boxes and 3 bags of random stuff and raggedy clothes.
My eggplant seedlings are looking good, so far so good!
Once the yard dries a little more I'll be mowing. We are thinking of adding one of the cordless push mowers to the lawn gear.

 

[aviax2]

Other then medical type things I haven’t done much in the way of prepping. I went Tuesday to get set up for colonoscopy and was so surprised that it’s going to be the later part of June before I go, usually it’s only a few weeks out.

I’ve also been busy with my granddaughter, Thursday of last week I noticed she had some fever when she woke from her nap. She had been a little more “high maintenance” last week but she’s teething and I thought that’s what it was. After running a higher fever that night her parents took her into one of those Fast Pace clinics since her pediatrician wasn’t in his office that day. When she was an infant she had several uti’s that we were told she would outgrow and I guess since she had a history they said she had a uti and called a med into the pharmacy. She has felt bad on and off all this week but again she’s teething. She had a really bad night with fever last night, so DD took off work and took her in to her pediatrician. He looked over the test results and she doesn’t have a uti at all. It looks to be tick related but the clinic they took her to last Friday were told she had had a tick stuck on the nape of her neck that I found but they said it had nothing to do with a tick. GRRR. More test were run today along with ex-rays and Dr says more test may be needed when the results of today come in to confirm it is tick related, I guess to pinpoint exactly what illness she has. Some of those places are just no better than a bandaid station. Prayers for my girl would be much appreciated.

DH did plant some raspberries (we’ve never had luck with them, sigh) but hasn’t found any decent looking blueberry bushes yet. He’s been working on the garden and so far has planted potatoes, corn, okra and peppers. I think he’s planting tomatoes and yellow squash and zucchini tomorrow. We didn’t do any green beans last year and he’s not sure if he needs to plant any or not as we still have quite a few canned from 2019. I don’t care for green beans except when they’re cooked fresh but I’ll eat them if I have to!

 

[SouthernBreeze]

YAY! Cary's Cardiologist said that his heart and coronary artery was in good shape, to keep doing what's he's doing, and come back to see him in a year! I'm still limiting his fried and fatty food.

He got ALL the parts for the lawn tractor, and now he just needs time to put it all back together.

We did stop in at Sam's, but I really didn't need anything in the store, but Cary filled the car up with gas for our trip, tomorrow, and got the car washed. Gas prices had gone up $.10 in two weeks. We use Premium is the car. It was $2.73/gal.

 

[moldy]

Picked up 25 junipers and a few things at Safeway. I spent this morning cleaning up and carpeting more of the yard. Yes, you read that correctly. I live out in the country - I'll do what I want, dang it!! No HOAs here for me! Seriously, carpeting keeps down weeds, doesn't look all that bad (I use green and neutral colors that I get from dumpsters), it lets the rain thru, I have to occasionally (like maybe a couple times a year) sweep or rake it), and I can remove it easily if I want to put in a different raised bed. Just the savings on chemicals alone (along with the fact I don't really like using them) is huge. I still have quite a bit to do, but I got hot and had to come in for a while.

I am going to try to get a few other things planted tonight since we're supposed to have rain almost every day I'm off this week.

 

[WanderLore]

Everything planted is popping up their little heads. Last cold night. 2 hens sitting on big nests.

Edit to add: I don't watch tv, haven't for years. Get my news here and 1 other place. It would drive me nuts. I hate to see the moral decline. I know its been that way always. But the level that society has sunk, makes me ill. I prefer to stay in my own world here and focus on simple things.
DH has tv going 24/7 in his rooms and radio programs and is always the voice of doom every morning.
I have to have my coffee in my cabin and some peace and prayer before I walk out to deal with the day.

 

[summerthyme]

Picked up 25 junipers and a few things at Safeway. I spent this morning cleaning up and carpeting more of the yard. Yes, you read that correctly. I live out in the country - I'll do what I want, dang it!! No HOAs here for me! Seriously, carpeting keeps down weeds, doesn't look all that bad (I use green and neutral colors that I get from dumpsters), it lets the rain thru, I have to occasionally (like maybe a couple times a year) sweep or rake it), and I can remove it easily if I want to put in a different raised bed. Just the savings on chemicals alone (along with the fact I don't really like using them) is huge. I still have quite a bit to do, but I got hot and had to come in for a while.

I am going to try to get a few other things planted tonight since we're supposed to have rain almost every day I'm off this week.

Moldy... you do you, as seems to be popular right now. Beats mowing, or weeding. But... and this has nothing to do with aesthetics ...

Is there any chance of those carpets harboring mold? I don't know, that's why I'm asking! I know carpets subject to even dampness, much less flooding are considered a black mold health hazard. I don't know if the sunshine can sterilize it throughly.

Anyway, I think I read you may have been recently diagnosed with possibly farmers lung type conditiin? (Forgive me if I'm wrong- I'm doing a lot of skimming lately!) Hubby is *extremely * sensitive to mold, as is our youngest son. Both of them kept wheezing and having their throats closing when we were clearing out the basement for the move- and yet, we had thoroughly scrubbed and used the full mold treatment/ prevention routine. And not one prospective buyer has any problems. Nor did I, ever, through hours of sorting preps, canning jars, doing laundry, etc.

My point is, if I didn't misread your health issues, you may want to make sure your otherwise ingenious solution isn't making your health worse.

Summerthyme

 

[philkar]

Cleaned up my summer kitchen today. Gets sort of stacked up over the winter. Cleaning always makes me feel better! On another note. Dropped by the hardware store today to pick up some sort of connector for my hubby. Lots of empty spaces. Employee told me that if I thought I would need more of said connector I should buy it now. I must have looked puzzled. She then elaborated that they just aren't getting supplies and that everything was really thin and she didn't know when they would get more supplies. She then told me I should get chickens and plant a garden if I hadn't already. I smiled and thanked her. Little does she know that I have meat chickens and laying hens and a 2.5 acre garden!

 

[moldy]

Moldy... you do you, as seems to be popular right now. Beats mowing, or weeding. But... and this has nothing to do with aesthetics ...

Is there any chance of those carpets harboring mold? I don't know, that's why I'm asking! I know carpets subject to even dampness, much less flooding are considered a black mold health hazard. I don't know if the sunshine can sterilize it throughly.

Anyway, I think I read you may have been recently diagnosed with possibly farmers lung type conditiin? (Forgive me if I'm wrong- I'm doing a lot of skimming lately!) Hubby is *extremely * sensitive to mold, as is our youngest son. Both of them kept wheezing and having their throats closing when we were clearing out the basement for the move- and yet, we had thoroughly scrubbed and used the full mold treatment/ prevention routine. And not one prospective buyer has any problems. Nor did I, ever, through hours of sorting preps, canning jars, doing laundry, etc.

My point is, if I didn't misread your health issues, you may want to make sure your otherwise ingenious solution isn't making your health worse.

Summerthyme

Thank you for your concern. I haven't seen mold on the carpets (and they've been outside longer than I'd care to admit). I do have a lung condition, but mold, birds, other fungus, and all the other things they normally check for are negative for causing it.

I could see moisture being a problem if I lived in a more humid area, but it is really dry here. But I will keep an eye on it.

 

[ReneeT]

Yesterday was a good day Hubby thought he'd heard a humming bird a few days ago, but I hadn't seen any; had put one feeder out just in case thought. I saw one early in the morning; then a second one in the evening so I've got 3 feeders out so far.

Also yesterday, I got my housekeeping chores done early on, went to the pool and exercised for an hour, had lunch at the VFW, stopped by the neighbor's greenhouse and picked up some more plants, then came home. I hadn't slept well the past two nights (because I stayed up late reading lol!), and made the mistake of sitting down in my recliner to look at my moon sign book in order to write out a note of what I wanted to do when.... The note did get written, so at least I knew what I wanted to get done when I woke up a couple of hours later - good thing youngest grandson called

I got a couple of 4'x4' raised beds planted - I marked one off in 1x1' squares, put a sweet potato plant in the top left and bottom right squares; then planted mixed lettuce in one of the open squares; yellow beets in the other - I figure that by the time the sweet potatoes need more room, the beets and lettuce will have been eaten. It's risky planting the sweet potatoes that early, but the greenhouse had plenty so I had picked up a few more just in case. I then cut up some seed potatoes and planted 16 good size pieces in the other 4'x4' bed. I will add frames and soil to the beds as the potato plants grow.

After that, I did some hand hoeing to get the nasty Creeping Charlie (I know, it's useful - but it's still a pain in the butt in the garden!) away from the in ground garden side of the raised beds; and as soon as Hubby got home from work I had him start the tiller (have to use the pull rope - he's ordered the new part he needs to fix that) and set it so that it would just go a couple of inches in to the soil - just enough to scrape out the weeds that had grown up in the garden. I need to go out this morning - now that the the ibuprofen has kicked in (we affectionately named the tiller Attila as it's a killer to use) (or maybe we're just getting old lol!) and rake up the weeds so that I can give it another pass with the tiller as soon as Hubby gets home; he doesn't want me using it if no one else is home.

I've gotten a couple of loads of laundry washed and most of it went out on the line - we've got sunshine and a good steady breeze so I probably ought to go out and see if it's dry yet. Need to do one more load of laundry but I've been lollygagging on the computer while waiting for daughter to drop the younger two grandsons off as she had planned to come by and borrow the truck to pick something up at Home Depot; but she hasn't shown up yet. I guess I might as well quit using her for an excuse and get back to to work

You folks all take care; stay safe out there!

 

[aviax2]

Renee- I’d love to have energy like you! I put up one hummingbird feeder on the front porch about 2 weeks ago, so far we only have 2 birds visiting it so I’ll hold off on putting out any more for another week or so.

It’s an absolutely beautiful day outside today. Spent some time with DH out on the back porch while having my coffee. So many different birds coming to the feeders and several “chickens of the trees” aka squirrels as well.

I’ve got laundry going and I put a whole chicken on to cook to make youngest DD chicken and dumplings for her belated birthday dinner tomorrow. I just remembered I need to set out some cream cheese for a dessert too.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

We just got back home from our visit with my aunt and uncle over in Alabama. My uncle's birthday was today. He turned 84. His backyard BBQ and birthday party was great. We all had a lot of fun, and ate way too much food. I even had two pieces of birthday cake! It was a beautiful day for it. He's 84 and my aunt is 76, and the first thing they did was dance a little happy birthday "jig"! LOL! They are so much fun to be around. Mom had a great time, too. She and her sister are very close. Always have been.

Now that we are back home, I'm worn out. Cary, too. Think we'll just lay around the house watching DVD's the rest of the day and evening. May even turn in early tonight. We had to get up at 5am this morning to get ready for our trip. We were out the door by 8:30am. We had to pick up Mom at her house, and we were on our way.