Other Ways

 So you might have figured out by now that I'm just not normal.

I'm getting more and more okay with that

the more I see what so called normal is.

                       I spoke a few posts back about a master list I keep

of things I'm continually on the lookout for.

Well this week, I got to mark another thing off the list.

This is about a 1940 model wringer washer that works!

Now I already had a wringer washer, but it didn't have a lid

and the head no longer swiveled.

Since I actually want to use it, not having a lid meant 

it wasn't okay to use in the house.

The water would splash all over.

Other than that, it works great, and I have used it a handful of times.

When we moved to the house we are in,

there was a new washer and dryer already in the house

so we intended on leaving our old washer and dryer up the river.

After using the new set a couple of times, we put it in the basement

and brought our old set from the mountain.

The new washer only put about 4" of water in the bottom

and the clothes came out in knots and dirtier looking than when they went in.

The dryer wasn't much better.

I use our old set and will until it dies at which time it will not be replaced.

I seldom use the dryer.

I do use it when crazy happens in life, and I just need to get laundry done,

but that isn't the norm and even in those circumstances, I could hang the clothes

and deal with the inconvenience.

The washer on the other hand, I use regularly (of course).

When the ol' trusty Kenmore dies, I don't want to be stuck

depending on a newer model.

                One thing I've strived for over the past however many years

is to replace newer inferior products with old dependable items.

Like I said, I had an old wringer that would work,

but if I had to use it regularly, it would be a little less than ideal.

That's why I was looking for an upgrade.

                        It's sure interesting how things work out sometimes.

Most of the old wringers I've seen that are in working order

have been selling for hundreds of dollars.

I had mentioned to a friend that I was looking for one.

This past week she let me know of one on FB marketplace.

I'm not on FB so it took a little coordinating,

but the end result is a couple days ago, this darling gem came home with me

for a very reasonable price.

It was funny when I went to look at it, the fella had it handy to look at.

It was in a little "town" of a couple hundred people out in the middle of nowhere.

There was an outlet right there, and I asked if I could plug it in.

He looked a little startled and asked, "Are you going to use it?"

I grinned ear to ear and replied, "Yep."

He looked amazed.

We plugged it in, and it worked fine so we loaded it up and I paid him.

Now whenever our washer gives out, we will be okay.

You'll laugh, but I refer to that as insurance & investment.

This is the kind of insurance I believe in.

I also see it as investing since I should never have to buy another washer.

These are work-horses, they last, and are repairable if they do breakdown.

If only I could find clothes and shoes that would last as long.

  

I was by myself so couldn't really get a picture while putting the clothes

through the wringer.

We get our work clothes really dirty

 so I was curious to see if they would get cleaner with this washer.

They do appear to be cleaner which is great.

The wringer didn't seem to get as much of the water out

as the spin cycle of the Kenmore, but that could be partially

due to operator inefficiency.

It had been a long time since I used a wringer for laundry.

So they did take a little longer to dry, but that wasn't a big deal to me.

Like I said, I will continue to do laundry with our "regular" washer,

but I really like knowing that I have a back up

and that it really wasn't that big of a deal to use it.

I used it outside and don't have it set up in an optimal situation,

but it was only a test run.

If I was going to use it regularly,

I would have it set up so that filling it with water and draining it

were easier.

The other note is that I did a full load of laundry.

The basin looks so much smaller and is easier to reach 

because of the shape, but I fit just as many clothes in it

as in the large capacity Kenmore washer.

I guess other than letting you know I'm a little goofy,

I'd like to encourage you to think outside of the box a little

when it comes to things we do as part of our routine

without giving much thought to what goes into it.

A Moments Peace

Well, it seems I'm not the only one

who has had a bit of a rough go of things lately.

My dad ended up back in the hospital for a few more days.

It was far less severe, but still.....

He is now home again.

We stopped by yesterday, and he is looking better - yay!

He is also getting grumpy about meds and all the fuss

which for him is a very good sign.

The month of August, he spent 24 days in the hospital.

Mom was only permitted to see him once during all that time.

The rest of us were not permitted at all - 

nor were we allowed to call for a period of time.

To me that is inhumane.

I am sooo grateful he is home and improving - again.

The blackbirds are flocking at sunrise ~ the introduction to autumn :-)

Our garden is going bonkers.

I know many of us are preserving the harvest right now.

I had several humungo heads of cauliflower that

are now all blanched and frozen in meal sized portions.

Yum!  I love cauliflower.

The tomatoes are insane.

I have canned almost enough for our own use.

Mom hasn't had much time to do much canning

so I canned a dozen jars of diced for her 

and will give her some for juicing and making into sauce.

I will probably do another batch of diced for them as they ripen.

The rest will be shared 😊

That of course is part of the joy of a garden,

the sharing of the bounty.

This is just one round of several.

Work has been insanely busy, long days and short nights.

We've all been to the point of nearly complete exhaustion.

Hubby was 'rummy' he was so stressed.

Between family and work and trying to maintain our own living/home,

we were spent.

I actually asked him if he tied our trusty K9 companion one evening.

He answered No.

I went out and tied him, then came in and told Hubby I tied him.

He said Oh thank you.

Not 2 minutes later he went outside.

I asked what he was doing.

He said he went out to tie up the pooch, but I'd already done it. Oy!

So we took what we could get and went camping.

We left Friday late afternoon and came back Sunday morning.

There is no service at one of our favorite spots not terribly far from here.

I told Mom where we would be and how to get a hold of us if need be.

Unluckily, the propane regulator went out on the trailer

so it took over an hour to make a pot of coffee!

That's almost an SOS situation!

But luckily, we had the little propane stove since there is a fire ban

during the dry months so we were able to get our fix.

Hubby caught 3 trout over 12" and several smaller ones

(all released.)

That's more than he's caught all up in the past year.

He also took a nap Saturday!

I took my stitching along and actually got to sit and stitch.

Needless to say, it had been a while.

We are back at it now, but that little break did wonders for us.

We had lots we could have done,

but sometimes sanity is worth more than plum pickin', weedin', cleanin', 

or a million other things calling our names.

I heard a saying many years ago~

When your basket is empty, you have nothing more to give.

So many are dealing with life issues

be it societal changes, health, relationships, or preserving the harvest.

If you are among them, take a moment, 

even just a walk out behind the garage and look up to the heavens.  

Inhale as deeply as you possibly can and hold it for just a minute.

Let it fill you up and give you strength for the day.

Prayers for you all.

We have today~

 

~An Update and A Sale You Should Know About~

First, I would just like you to know a couple things here on the home front.

I am having issues with the privacy settings on my phone

so I have commented on several blogs

and the comments don't go through.

At least I've figured out that it's something in "privacy."

I suppose that is a step in the right direction.

Also, I've not forgotten you.

I know there has been a bit of a lapse in my post.

My dad ended up in the hospital which 

threw a monkey wrench in things.

He is home and recovering, but if you are the praying sort

and would like to add his continued recovery to your prayers

this here little blogger would be ever grateful.

*~*~Thank you~*~*

Had to let you know those things.

Now, onward:

Tatler reusable canning lids are on sale through the end of the month

so there is still time to get in on the deal.

Thank you Kathleen for the heads-up.

One thing I was uncertain of was if they could be used for vacuum sealing.

Yes!!! They can.

I was thrilled.

In trying to be stocked up on things before inflation really hits,

canning lids were a concern of mine.

I am planning on placing another order tomorrow.

I have had to break it up so it will work from a budget perspective ;-)

They arrived quickly and with a page of instructions for use.

I can hardly wait to use them for real canning.

My folks purchase the buckets of ice cream when they buy it

so have given me these great tubs for storing them in.

 

More and more, my question to myself is

"How can I never have to buy this again."

I'm not sure these will last the rest of my life,

but they should last a very long time.

I would also like to show you a little cheat sheet I made.

I keep a copy taped inside my cupboard door for quick reference.

Feel free to use it, but know it is for my elevation

so be sure to double check for your area.

You should be able to copy and paste into a word doc.

Change to narrow margins and it fits on 1 page. 

 

Food	Pack Method	Process Time Pints	Process Time Quarts	Water Bath	Blanching Time	Freeze or Dehydrate
Apple	Hot	20	20	X
Apricot	Raw	25	30	X
Asparagus	Raw	30	40		2-4	F/D
Bean	Raw	20	25		3	F
Beet	Hot	30	35		5	D
Berry	Raw	15	20	X
Broccoli					2	F/D
Brussels Sprout					3-5	F/D
Cabbage					1 1/2	D
Carrot	Raw	25	30		2	D
Cauliflower					3	F
Cherry	Raw	25	30	X
Corn	Raw	55	85		NA or	F/D
Eggplant					NA	D
Fava (lg. bean)	Raw	40	50
Grape	Raw	15	20	X
Mushroom	Hot	45
Onion					NA	F/D
Parsnip					2	D
Pea	Raw	40	40		1 1/2	F
Peach	Raw	25	30	X
Pear	Raw	25	30	X
Pepper	Hot	35			2	F/D
Plum	Raw	20	20	X
Potato	Hot	35	40		3-5	D
Pumpkin	Hot	55	90			D
Rhubarb	Hot	15	15	X
Spinach/greens	Hot	70	90		1-2	F/D
Squash- summer					3	F
Squash- winter	Hot	55	90
Tomato Diced/Sliced	Raw	35	45	X	NA	F/D
Tomato Sauce	Hot			X
Turnip		30	35		2	F/D