Food all the Way

 My friend died Sunday morning. I did not want to bother her daughter who is right there in her home. However, I could not bear knowing. I called and may have awakened her daughter. Our exchange was brief--29 seconds. I did not want to go into my grief, so I said, "I am so sorry." She said, "Thank you." She may have been asleep.  She may have been hoarse from crying. We hung up. That means the celebration of life is Sunday. I had mailed her a note on Monday, written on Sunday after she died...sigh.

I wonder if there will be food at the Celebration. This is the South and it will be in a church.

I told Tommy I would call the police next time he hit me. I know for a fact it was low blood sugar. But, it hurts my body, hurts my feelings and makes me feel like I am nothing. He was an a$$ when I said that hurt since he acted like I did not exist, would not speak. I know you wonder why we don't check his blood sugar. That would be too easy. He would also lose his autonomy. But, when he has tried to hurt me and men in uniform show up, he is meek as a lamb. He has allowed them to measure his blood sugar on several occasions when he was yelling at me. I don't think he is afraid of them, just will cooperate with uniforms better than with me. 

Somehow, I lost Sunday. That night, I just assumed it was Saturday because I had not seen Meet the Press or America's Funniest Videos. Well, on Monday, Tommy pointed out I was asleep during those hours. I slept about four hours and missed both, one in the morning and one in the evening. Of course, I barely slept every night of the weekend. My laptop has the date, time, and temperature displayed. However, the pertinent information I needed on Sunday, the day of the week, is not displayed. 

Janet, I received Pillars of the Earth on Monday. It was so heavy I could barely take it from Tommy and not drop it. I will have to support it for sure. This read should be interesting. I will get a tray that sits across my lap and rests on the arms of the chair. Thank you.

I ordered a book from Mayo Clinic--Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies, Second Edition. Hopefully, it will prove helpful. 

Decluttering was miniscule, but I did it.

Free food: 6 black plums, 7 peaches, 4 lbs of nectarines, five lbs. chicken thighs. 

We still have chicken tenderloins in the refrigerator to eat, and two frozen packages of cooked tenderloins. Last night, I wanted Tommy to go get chicken for me. Yes, I know there was plenty in the refrigerator already baked. I opened a can of the Hormel Roast Beef and Gravy, mixed package of Idahoan, and opened green beans. It was not the healthiest, but it was eaten. The can of Hormel was 11 months beyond the best by date, but it was fine as I knew it would be. 

I really want potato salad and squash casserole, so after the news goes off, we will go to Publix.  Tommy went alone and bought: milk for both of us, two packages of squash, five pounds red potatoes, two pounds of carrots, Arnold's Keto Bread,  a package of carrot shreds, 4 12-packs of Pepsi b2g2, a case of Dasani. He forgot to put my phone number in at the register. We would have gotten $2 off on a $10 purchase. I will fix it. 

We went out in the car earlier, and the ac is wonderful! I know that Heaven will be airconditioned. 

On the news today, we heard that doctors increase the intake of fruits and vegetables by 1/3 by actually prescribing fruits and vegetables. Interesting. I am not sure what the recommendations are, but I get at least three fruits, and at least three or four vegetables. I know I am short on the vegetables. Well, maybe not since I rarely count onions and celery in my vegetable list for a day. I read another site that has 4 of each as the minimum. 

Tommy went to Publix. I specifically told him to choose small squash. Not one of the packages has a small squash! They are all hefty clubs. I cut off the smaller ends for the casserole and left the larger pieces to cook with the thighs or for him to put in a salad. I need to remember to slice them, otherwise, he won't eat them in a salad. Plus, there is a package of three not so small clubs left for another day. I may slice those to cook with onions. 

Tonight, I will boil eggs for the potato salad I will make Wednesday or probably Thursday. Ooops, I forgot to have him buy celery.

Dinner: I am having baked chicken tender, squash casserole, green beans. Tommy is having a leg and thigh, squash casserole, sweet potatoes. The green beans and sweet potatoes are leftovers, so a helping each is left. Until dinner is done, I am eating a peach. It is Freestone! I have not had one of those yet this year. Okay, it is hard and not very tasty, but tomorrow they will be better.

There was a rock in the green beans, and I broke a tooth!

Do you aim for a certain number of vegetables and fruits each day?

What are you currently reading? 

Mish Mash

 When we went to the Wednesday market, we bought peaches and watermelon. The peaches are white-flesh and the watermelon is a tiny thing, seedless, I suppose. We decided we might be able to get that into the house and cut. I would prefer a larger one. But, Tommy cannot carry it nor can I. Plus, the leftovers would be heavy, too. U am getting shakier by the day on my feet, so no use tempting fate. 

Tommy put it on the dining table in the dark and out of sight. So, we have forgotten it. That annoys me. Hopefully, it will still be good. He left it in the car when we came home, so not sure what hours of heat did to it and then ignoring it in here for four days. 

The peaches are not very good. I am sure if I were canning them, they would taste much better. They had sold the last baskets of the better tasting peaches as we came up. We saw the woman purchase them. 

The internet is filled with pink items for the Barbiecore movement afoot. There are even people dressing for attending the movie in pink. And, there are ads for what to wear. I like pink and it has nothing to do with Barbie. I am quite sure I don't fit in with the culture it promotes. Is Barbie pushing Princesses aside?

This VIDEO is about a family in Appalachia. There are other videos about the Whittakers, an inbred family. They get haircuts, go to walmart and show the photographer around their house and land. It is sad and fascinating.

I actually know someone, a family, actually where incest is rampant. The parents of one of these people promotes boyfriends/girlfriends from the time the kids are very small to try and not have the same thing happen in their nuclear family. And, they encourage teen marriages, I suppose to remove temptations. It is sick what they are doing too, just not incestuous. 

Do you know of an incestuous situation?

Artemis 1 Moon Treat

 Last night, I read until 5 am and got up to go to the bathroom. Tommy had the light on, but I went to the bathroom first. Afterwards, since I had heard a very loud noise, I went to the living room to see what the noise was. He was lying, sprawled full length on the floor. My throat tightened. "What are you doing?" I could barely talk. 

As it turns out, he had gotten up to go to the bathroom and heard something fall from his table making the loud noise I heard. When he came back, he lay down to find what fell. After he retrieved the bottle of Vicks Vaporub that fell off the table, he had to drag himself back to his chair. Think Christina's World. Only, he cannot sit up as well as she could. He was mostly on his stomach. 

I went back to bed, read the final half page to the end of the chapter and went to sleep. 

On Sunday night, Tommy had me find the time the Artemis 1 would launch--7:30. He set the clock and I told him to wake me, too. A little after 7 am, I awoke and came into the living room. He said the launch was delayed, so I told him to wake me if it were to be launched. I slept until 10 am. So, we were up. 

I had mentioned getting a Krispy Kreme Artemis Moon Doughnut. We drove about ten miles to get two apiece for a little over $10. We ate one each under the shade of a tree. They were so delicious. 

I went into a big box and bought three items I may take back. Many shelves were bare, getting ready for Halloween items. 

The sky was even more beautiful than yesterday. It makes me happy. 

Of course, I had a nap. And, we ate our second Artemis 1 Moon treat. I talked to Lynda instead of making slaw and baked vegetables. 

Dinner was easy--microwaved baked chicken, carrots, squash, and mashed potatoes. After dinner, I had another peach. The others need to be sliced as they are starting to go off. Maybe I will make a cobbler.

And, we end the day with several episodes of Gunsmoke. We have such an exciting life!

Did you get an Artemis I doughnut today?

Have you made a peach cobbler this summer? Do you like ice cream on peach cobbler? Or, a glass of milk?  

Saturday So Busy and "Marching" Record

 We went to Cullman Saturday. I got the mail and went to the Farmer's Market where I bought:

A mess of green beans $2

dozen eggs $4

peaches--seven for $6

zucchini $4 with yellow squash added to make it $6,

2 yellow squash 

I used coupons for free produce, and they are in $6 denominations, so I get something to make up the extra cost, hence the 2 squash. 

The green beans came from the guy selling eggs. I asked him if I could just get $2 of green beans. The other guy at the booth started bagging up a whole mess of green beans and I reminded him I was only buying $2 worth. He said, "Well, this looks like $2 worth of beans to me." So, he was being generous because I am a regular customer and love to talk chickens. Good deal! 

I went to a store and bought tomatoes and Vidalia onions. The market only had green tomatoes, and I am not a fan of green tomatoes. I should have bought a couple to fry for Tommy. 

Saturday night, we had meatballs and green beans cooked in foil in the oven and sliced tomatoes. It was delicious. The tomatoes should have been added to meatballs and beans. Tommy like the whole green beans--"different way to cook (whole) and different taste (olive oil and garlic), good." The meatballs were cooked and frozen, so just needed heating.

On Friday, I "marched" for 10 minutes, a new record for me. Tonight, I will do the same. Okay, it is getting late and I am about to drop, so tomorrow. 

Saturday morning, I cooked breakfast to avoid buying Hardee's sausage and biscuit. Tommy ate bread and two sausages. I had three scrambled eggs and two sausage patties. Next time, I will only have one sausage patty. The Johnsonville Sausage patties were on sale this week, so I have three packages of premade sausages. 

After sleeping an hour and a half on Friday night, I took a two and a half hour nap, getting up much sooner than I really desired. Hopefully, I can work my way back to a semi-normal sleep pattern. 

Saturday was a really good day.

This and That

Remember when I was losing weight. Well, I was not. Finally, after such great weight loss, I asked Tommy how his weight was fairing. He had not weighed that week. I asked him to weigh and tell me if it seemed the scales were off. He did not get on the scales, he just adjusted the scales--just moved them.

When the freezer was installed, we had to find a new spot for the scales. Since it cannot be placed on carpet, that left little room for it to go. I put it in front of the refrigerator and on the wall to the right of the refrigerator. It is not at all in the way since the door opens on the left. I had accidentally put the scales on the heat register just a bit. So, once it was placed properly, I have no longer lost all that weight. Bummer, right?

Since my oxygen maker/concentrator cannot be in the room with me, it is in the bedroom directly across the hall. Luckily, both doors are opposite one another and at the very end of the hall. The heat register had to be opened. So, that room is now cool. And, surprise, surprise, my room is cooler rather thant,  stuffy and like an oven.

Better yet, since the room has to be open and climate regulated, I can sew in there. Hopefully, we can get the head in the cabinet.

Yesterday, I was given a dozen peaches. I love peaches fresh and raw, but I may bake something or put them in ice cream.

Wednesday, I canceled my teeth cleaning appointment because I was coughing and had lots of congestion. Even if they did not mind me feeling so ill, I would have continually choked and would have had to cough. My teeth feel like they need to be cleaned!

I hate waking up feeling ill, or coughing, or sneezing and have a moment of OH NO! We both have intermittent coughing and sneezing sessions, but within an hour, there is nothing going on. But, people might be leery of us coming into an office. 

Right now, I am going to Tommy's vehicle and washing windows inside and out with vinegar. I can barely see out of the windows.

The first thing I am going to cook in the air fryer is potatoes.

I am reading Mary trump's book--Too Much and Never Enough.

Free Food and a New Crockpot

Friday, I awoke at 2:30 am after sleeping before the news the night before and immediately afterwards. I did not stay awake to watch my favorite shows. Bummer. After leaving the house around 8:30 this morning, I was exhausted by 1 pm. I made a wrong turn and saw a "Free Food" sign. You know me, I was intrigued, especially since they were grilling. This was near an elementary school. Someone had balloons and a sign. I stopped and asked one of the women what was going on.

As it turns out, this was the beginning of the summer school nutrition program. Today, adults could eat. They invited me to return at 2 pm. Doubting I would, I thanked them. As it turned out, nothing went right and took twice as long, so I pulled in and got my food--two cheeseburgers, bag of chips and a coke. There were two thick patties on each cheeseburger. I should not have gotten these, but I do not have to cook today. Salad fixings will suffice for dinner. The second cheeseburger will be held for later.

This weekend is Rock the South Concert weekend. We are expecting 60,000 people to turn out. There are 60,000 people in the county. !!! We needed a country concert.

It is almost 3 pm, and I cannot get the dozen cans of peaches out of the car. The temperature is north of 90 F degrees and the humidity is returning. I still prefer it hot, hot, hot. I just prefer not to exert myself!

In order to cook in a crockpot, I need the four-quart Crockpot. Months ago, I broke my last one. The seven-quart Crockpot I won is too heavy for me to lift. Today, I settled for a 3.5 quart round Crockpot even though the oval is better for me.  Yes, I broke down and bought it. I have a plan.

Tomorrow, I will tell you my plans for the Crockpot. Right now, a nap is sneaking up on me.

Beware of Sales! Canning Peaches

At one store here in town there are terrific sales on things I want and will use. However, these sales are often not good for stock-up items. Miracle Whip was on sale for $1.50. I was ready to buy several, depending on the use-by date. That is important for MW.  However, the use-by date was in a month. I was grateful for the savings, but I only bought one jar.

So, Del Monte freestone peaches in a 28 oz. can were on sale at 4/$5, making the can $1.25. Regular price was $2.78, so I was thrilled.  Imagine my disappointment when the use-by date was 9/19. I bought four cans but intend to go back and buy eight more. I love canned peaches, and since I will not be canning peaches, this will have to do. The date will not be so important, especially as these will be used by next summer.

I love cottage cheese and peaches. This makes a meal for me or a snack. Of course, a dump cake works too, especially in the winter. Plus, I have used canned peaches for brandied fruit.

I do buy Elberta peaches when they are in season. A basket of six peaches is $6! However, they are so juicy and sweet that I get a dishtowel to put down to eat one. I bite into it and juice runs down my face! When I am ready to can again, I will drive to the farmer's market in Birmingham to buy bushels of peaches.

When I was about eleven-years-old until I was gone from home, gone to college, my mother would can bushels of peaches every summer. Daddy would show up with several bushels of peaches for Mama to can. At first, we did not have ac, so it was a long, hot, arduous job. When we got ac, it was just less hot, but still long and arduous.

She probably canned peaches before this time. But, this is when I remember and helped her.

When she got a full freezer, we froze peaches. It was still hot, just less hot. We loved to eat half-thawed for a dessert or snack. Just thinking about it takes me back to my teen years. I may just buy Elberta peaches, freeze them and then thaw them to eat.

There is nothing as delicious as home-canned or frozen peaches!

Do you ever find sales that are too good to be true and then discover they are almost at their use by dates? Now, I will eat older canned food, but really hate buying it almost old.

Did you ever, or do you can peaches? Is it a beloved childhood memory like mine? Do you love a juicy peach?