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I'm sorry to hear about Charles' infection. It's good to hear he is improving.  

I'm thinking I will can water to store.  Although I have a hand pump on my well, having clean water right at hand would be most helpful for such things as eating and drinking.  

I've been discouraged about my garden lately.  I found nematodes have attacked a second raised bed.  I will keep at it, but the UFAS website has made it clear that getting rid of them is difficult.  They say the old remedies, such as planting certain marigolds, only work with certain types of nematodes, and apparently, there are a number of differing types.  I'm not ready to give up, however. I will be adding compost, as nematodes dislike it, but I will have to buy it and it may not work all that well.  I've never had much luck composting myself- I always end up with fire ant nests in it, even using a rolling tumbler.

We recently celebrated a family birthday, and I fed a group of seven adults and four children with one small chicken; I made old fashioned chicken and dumplings, which the birthday honoree loves.  My grandmother, (born 1896) always made them from just flour, salt and hot broth from the bubbling pot, then rolled the dough out thin and cut it in strips, and I learned that method from her.  It's an old way to feed more people with less expense but more labor, which I am willing to do.  I am looking at making more of other recipes that we used to eat more often because they stretched the food budget so well.

I am developing a few more old-time routines, but my best routine still so far is avoiding the dryer.  It's automatic these days for me to use the line outside or use the indoor racks.  I think I have used my dryer twice this past year.  I also hand wash much more than I used to and use my portable wringer to wring out the hand-washed laundry.

I'm still working away at improving my sewing skills.  I also took an herbalist course a few years ago so that I know how to make some things such as elderberry tonic, fire cider and how to use yarrow to stop bleeding.  I grow as much of the ingredients as I can.

I recently learned to sharpen my own knives.  The places near me that sharpen knives charge up to 75 cents per inch of blade, and I have six kitchen knives I use a lot, so that would be quite the expense.  I am pleased to see that I am improving and now sharpen them regularly.  My late DH was very handy with many things, but he never learned to sharpen knives for some reason, so I never learned from him.

I have some new projects to start in addition to getting my kitchen redone, so the next couple of months will be busy.  I will continue to stop by here for inspiration.  I hope everyone is doing well.

We've been thinking about storing water too! We needed to change our plan since we don't get water delivered anymore. I have a few large-ish jars we fill when the electricity goes out, but it's far from enough. I read that it's recommended to have a gallon of water a day per person, with a 14-day supply on hand. For us, it means nine 5-gallon bottles, but the first thing I did was buy a waterBOB. It's a food-grade plastic liner you put in your bathtub when the power goes out, and you cross your fingers and hope the water stays on long enough to fill it from the tub faucet to get it full to (allegedly) 100 gallons of water. It comes with a pump to get the water out. It only cost $35, so I thought it was worth the money. Naturally it's no good if a disaster knocks out the water first thing, but for $35, I thought it was worth taking a chance on, since that's a lot of water for washing clothes and things. 

My husband wasn't particularly impressed with my waterBOB, though he admitted it could be useful. He wanted those nine 5-gallon bottles, filled and waiting. I told him how much 5-gallon glass bottles cost, and after he got up from his faint, he liked the $35 waterBOB more than he did before. Literally after I hung up the phone from having this water conversation with him, I went to the mailbox and there was a refund check from the insurance company because when we replaced our hail-damaged roof a couple of months ago, we put on the hardened kind of roof, and now we get a discount on our policy. So I called my husband back and told him that the insurance company just paid for our first four water bottles. Except that two days later the price had gone up $12 a bottle, and we could only get three! But it's a start. My husband suggested filling them at one of those water machines, so I found one in the next town over, and it's only a few dollars to fill each bottle. We came up with a plan of rotating our filling once we have all nine, so we didn't have to keep doing it all at once. And how we would use our bee wagon to get the full bottles from the store to the car. 

We still have to buy six more bottles, but at least we've got a good plan. I feel more secure. 

The video about Eva was so touching! 

And this from the 2017 post:

"There are droughts, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, pest attacks, epidemics, unexpected job losses and the threat of terrorism and war going on all the time.  We all need to arrange our priorities to keep a stocked pantry even if we do not have a pantry because we can find a place to put the stock.  Keep a stocked first aid kit and medical needs stored and have drinking water stored (especially important) and not put off doing these things.  Have an evacuation plan to where if we must leave our home we leave with provisions and shelter (we keep a tent with our evacuation supplies)."

It was written before the wars and covid! Before the US ran out of money and AI became a danger to us! I don't even want to think about what it might be like ten years from now! Grandma Donna has helped us to become so much more prepared. Thank you, Grandma Donna, for all of these posts you've written over the years. 

Stephanie G. - I fill empty gallon bleach and vinegar bottles with water and store in the basement.  That is washing and flushing water.  I have something like 24 dozen boxes of quart jars that I do not use and am slowly filling with water and canning.  I'm reusing lids for this project because lids are expensive and they are working.   If a jar comes unsealed, no financial loss.

I recently purchased an electric pressure canner and did 8 quarts of water while learning how to use it.  I had to replace my kitchen stove in July and quickly realized I could not safely pressure can on it.  The two front burners are very high BTU and do not go low enough to safely can without turning the burner off and on to balance the heat which isn't a good idea at all.  I'm not at all happy with the new stove as the front burners are too hot ... browning ground beef was done with the burner halfway between medium and low.  Cremation is the only use for high on those burners and that is something I try to avoid while cooking!  There are several other bad design features on the stove which leads me to believe whoever designed it never cooked in his/her life.  I'm stuck with it because $962 means it won't be replaced.  Fortunately, the oven works good.

I read the post from 2017 and you mentioned biscuits.  I'd been trying to  think of a snack for my grandchildren who are here everyday. I'll be making them tomorrow. 

They need snacks everyday and I have pretty much used whatever I had on hand but I need to be more intentional on this and actually add making homemade snacks to my routine. They have opinions on what they like for snacks for sure but we'll be working on that! Lol

My mother's illness & death in the past year found me relying on store bought too much. But now I'm getting back to filling our tummies with homemade goodness and it feels good!

I've been enjoying the fresh apples from the orchard near here. And hope to get more soon! Saving the pumpkin purchases for mid to late October.  I'm trying to focus on one seasonal produce item for each month as something to look forward to for that month and really explore how to best make use of it (going beyond my usual recipes).

Routine is something I have been paying close attention to lately. It helps with focus and reduces wasting time.

I pray that the infection that Charles has clears up quickly. May all go well as he continues to heal.

I'm so sorry to hear Charles' hip got infected. I'm so glad he's mending. My husband's knee replacement got infected this past June after having his knee replaced 1-1/2 yrs ago. It wasn't good. He's clear now so far, but they won't give him an "all clear" for another two months.  

I almost died when I filled up my gas tank. $30 more than normal. It really is starting to irk me, the cost of everything. My stove is on the fritz as well, and I ordered another coil top, only for it to be delivered damaged and they don't know when more will be in stock. So here I sit with burners that boil or stand still and won't sit level, I really don't want a smooth top.  

Eva... I just loved listening to her.  I wish I had her "happy." I'm learning to make peace with what is and learn not to be so anxious, but it's difficult after having so much going on since June for us. This summer has been a real test that I think I've failed. Grandma Donna, I go back to your posts so often, because they give me so much joy and peace.  At what point do we just no worry anymore and let the Lord lead the way?  Definitely working on that.

AZ is just so difficult to live with a garden or pots. It's just so hot. And with a husband that won't eat most things, I just don't deal with it.  The stores have such garbage. There is one that the furthest away from me that is the best of the 3 remotely near me. So I go there for organics.  I do make dried chickpeas which is a wonderful snack. My neighbor makes sour dough bread and sells it and my husband wants her bread he told me yesterday, but he won't eat mine. STING!   I need a dose of Eva's happy!    

My Ninja Flip on my counter bakes better than my oven does. The only thing I haven't made in it is bread, because the Flip is too small for my Dutch oven. Our washer, dryer, and fridge are 17 years old. The stove was a cheap $350 model and it's 13 years old. The stove's coil burners are starting to heat too hot, except for one in the back that is too cool. We've decided not to buy a new stove when this one goes. We're going to get a larger countertop multi-function oven like our Flip and some individual induction plates. In fact, we've been trying to decide what to do with the space the stove would leave! I've been looking at new washers just to see what's out there. Our dryer should keep going since we don't use it that much. We've already replaced the heating element twice and know how to do that. If something happened to the drum, we'd figure out how to fix that. As far as the fridge goes, I'm keeping in mind Tea S's ideas about cooling food!

Our bigger concern with replacement is our car. We don't think we'll be able to afford another one after this one goes (it's got plenty of years in it right now). My husband got some inheritance money recently and wanted to get another motorcycle since he sold his last one when we moved to this house. It's his money, so he can buy whatever toys he wants! :) And, no the inheritance wasn't enough money to put away for a new car. Not even as seed money. We ran those numbers. He bought a used trike and I took him to pick it up, and was honestly amazed. It's really solid and stable, and it has lots of storage. My son has had a learner's permit for a car before, and knows the road rules backwards and forwards, but finds that driving a car makes him very nervous. We had to give up on getting him a car driver's license. But he loves the new trike! He feels much more comfortable on it. He's going to get his learner's permit for the motorcycle, he's already passed two practice tests, and we're now trying to find reasonably priced leather jacket and pants for him. They are necessary for safety and not just for looking cool. :) 

The trike has solved my son's transportation problem because on a job application you need to be able to say that you have reliable transportation, and we're beginning to come around to the idea that this is our replacement car when the time comes. Motorcycles last forever with the right maintenance and are much cheaper to maintain. My husband has had to rent cars for his job, so we know how much that costs, and it would be cheaper to rent a car for a week or two for long-distance travel then bear all of the constant expenses of another car. Since I'm stocking my pantry mostly with delivery stuff and we have a garden, we don't buy much at the store anymore, and what we do buy would fit in the storage compartments on the trike. My husband thought he was buying a toy, but instead it turned into a solid household problem solution! :) 

Not sure why, but that picture of your water catchment looks so peaceful.  Had to go read your older post also.  Isn't it funny (not the right word) looking back and remember how we were thinking at a certain point in time.  You sounded tired in the older post.  You sound more refreshed now - maybe busy but more at peace.

I just began wrapping up the garden yesterday.  It doesn't happen over night ~ still some harvesting to do.  This year was not a good garden year, but will take what we can from it and try again next year.  Glad to have what we got.

Blessings to both of you ~

This blog post was very nice as usual, and I enjoyed reading all the comments. 

I don't have much to add today except that I'm thankful Charles got through the infection and also to agree that routines are very important. 

Have a good week, everybody!

I’m wrapping up a month of extremely low screens, no social media, no news, no YouTube, no forums, etc.  It has been wonderful and I will continue, with only a few things allowed back in.  I was more successful than last October when many of us on the forum did a low tech challenge, probably because I feel better.  Wearing an analog watch has cut my phone pickups to almost nothing unless I need it — I can go hours without even thinking about my phone.  This has become a bit of a problem, as I have missed some calls and texts, but I also learned it isn’t the end of the world if I do.  I am back to never checking my phone if I am with another person, and not even having it in sight.

Ann W. I am also getting back into making everything I can from scratch.  I’ve been baking bread and cookies most of 2026.  For snacks I bake cookies, brownies, and muffins, but I also finally made good dairy free biscuits that we all can eat.  I use palm shortening for the fat, and water for the liquid.  They taste much better than they sound!  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that until very recently human beings wouldn’t have had access to milk or buttermilk year round, because the milk cow has to go dry and they didn’t have refrigeration for fresh milk or factories to make milk powder.  Biscuits certainly were made with lard and water!  My son won’t eat lard, so I use the palm shortening.  To get a good price I bought 33# of it, so I use it in a lot of baked goods.  My son can’t have dairy and it’s nearly impossible to find dairy substitutes I can tolerate, with nut and soy allergies plus intolerance of many of the thickeners and such they add.

I am reminded that in the Little House Cookbook, the author writes about how Ma Ingalls and Mrs. Wilder would have made very different cornbreads.  Ma’s would have been made with water, cornmeal, and salt.  It was a dough rather than a batter.  Flavoring would come from the kind of fat was used to grease the bake oven and whether it was served with something like molasses or prairie hen gravy.  Mrs. Wilder was far more affluent and lived on a prosperous farm, so hers could have eggs, milk/buttermilk/cream, butter (if she wanted).  Here in the United States now we live very affluently and our everyday recipes reflect that, but there was a time when many of our recipes were simpler and more frugal.  I’ve made the Tightwad Gazette tuna cheddar chowder for decades now, and it calls for one can of tuna.  One time I looked it up online and saw the recipe posted to a blog, calling for two cans of tuna, but still crediting Amy Dacyczyn.  I pulled out my well worn copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette and confirmed the recipe indeed calls for only one can of tuna.  People have been upping the protein in everything for several years now (hello protein seltzer water), so I think that may have been the reason for the change.  The recipe has milk and cheese in it, so I see no need to add a second can of tuna for more protein.

Good idea getting motorcycle trike.  Our weather would not allow use for a good part of the year so not a solution for Iowa.   I have a 32-year-old grandson who got a learners permit and knows how to drive but has never gotten a license.   He walks miles every day for work.  

My garden was a failure this year and if it ever stops raining, I will clear it off.  There are still tomatoes, but the bugs are decimating them so not worth messing with them further.  Peppers are not ripening due to lack of sun and cool weather, but the plants are loaded and look wonderful.  I may leave them and hope we finally get some sunny 70º days.  Today is only the second sunny day in two weeks and rain returns Tuesday through Thursday.  In fact, the weather service has issued a flash flood watch since all rain will be falling on saturated soil.  Between 3 to 6 inches (and maybe more) between Tuesday evening and Thursday morning.  

Farmers are very concerned about crop damage and when it is going to dry enough to harvest.  A lot of lost acreage already due to ponds in the fields.  A combine stuck in a field is a dangerous and expensive problem to solve.  Even older combines cost upwards of $100,000.00 and I don't even want to think about what a new one costs!!

I used my new electric canner this morning and canned 4 pints of chicken in broth.  I think each jar is about 2/3 chicken and 1/3 broth.  I also did a quart of water to add to my preps.  The canner holds 5 pints, but I was able to fit in a quart instead of the 5th pint.  It's a learning curve, but I'm liking the canner.  My old Presto canners are wonderful and have served me well for 65 years however, I've been struggling opening and closing the lids.  This new canner is much easier on old hands.

This was my 3rd year container gardening. The 1st 2 years were a disaster. I had tomatoes & potatoes & basil which did well this year. I have a very shady yard so I am limited on where I can put pots.  I have spied a couple small areas for next year that might have enough sun. Until I tried growing plants I didn't pay much attention to where the sun might be. 

I'm learning to be patient. In years past I would've been frustrated & just quit. Now I'm learning to enjoy the process, too!

Kimberly F I desperately need to get back to no screens. I can definitely see my attitude shift. I had surgery 3 weeks ago and am not able to go to my chiropractor until I heal, which means I can't move well, which means I'm grouchy and on my phone more than I want. It has really not been good for me. It is just so toxic even if you think you're finding funny things.  Thank you for the reminder!!  

Stephanie G... interesting on the Ninja Flip. I looked it up as I've not heard of it. I use my sheet pan for many things so I don't think it'll work because of size, but I definitely appreciate the idea!  I follow another lady who only uses a tiny two burner smooth top "thing" built into her counter and a toaster oven.  I don't think I could. LOL!!! 

Grandma Donna, that bowl in the photo. Mmmm so pretty. I love pretty things. 

So funny. I'm sitting here with no power since 4am. It's almost 4 hours later.  I'm thankful for our propane grill and camping coffee pot. Only, I find I need the clear bubble top kind of coffee pot lid. Between the rain hitting on the metal patio roof I can't hear if it's perking; seeing it would be better.  I am wondering if a propane stove would be better. It's quite a loser grill - a tailgater I guess. Pretty useless. It takes almost an hour for the grill to heat the water.  Anyone know?   

I normally drink 1/2 caff, but made full caff for my husband who is going to work. 1/2 a cup later, my head is pounding.  Now I can do things faster with more energy, but can't do anything without power. LOL.

I do have a lap top with hot spot, which is why I'm here. A battery powered charger for the phone. Thankful for the battery power!

We have non potable water stored on our patio, usually the unopened jugs left over from the water we can no longer drink as it expires and we can't keep it in our house, because after a duration they tend to leak. (manuf home, no basement so it sits on a hot patio enclosure)  We are on a well, so no power means no water and no water means no flushing toilet either. However, enough jugs to flush toilet if needbe. 

Waiting for the huge radar red storm to go through  shortly, so I guess power won't happen for a while.  I'll just be sitting here. LOL.  So what do you do with yourself when the power goes out?

:) 

Ann E, I hope your power has come back on.  You asked what would we do?  I would continue on my day and switch over to my solar bulbs if needed, sew on my treadle machine, wash my laundry by hand, filter the stored rain water if needed.  Cook on my propane one burner stove, we love that little Coleman stove and use it often.  I would have put the kettle on first thing and just do a pour over the coffee drip filter.  Over time Charles and I have made our home to where we keep going in the house with or without electricity.  The only thing would be if it is hot and we do not have air-conditioning but even for that we have hand fans and foot tubs to sit with our feet in cool water that comes from our rain barrels.  We also have two Tractor Supply water tanks, a 35 gallon and a 65 gallon that we fill with city water and we change that water out every six months if it has not been used and water the garden.  Grandma Donna :)

Yes, it came back on about an hour ago!  We have power outages quite often.  I looked into the single burners but then I thought it may be easier to have our larger grill tanks attached to a double burner  rather than having to always get those smaller propane bottles for a Coleman since. The grill is really quite useless. I takes almost 1/2 hour to seer a slab of ham on it. lol.  Anyway, it's really something to think about. Grills just take forever to heat up.   

AC is always a problem with an outage here. We end up closing everything up tight with drapes drawn, but sometimes it doesn't help when it goes out in the middle of the night. We can deal with cold since it doesn't get that cold, although there was that one time.... lol.  The foot cooling thing is really a great idea!  I haven't thought of that, but I do now remember you mentioning that.

I also like the water tank idea. It would be useful for a slew of things.  

It made me think though, when the power came on and the expectation of some really bad weather coming (which changed and didn't hit us) whether or not I should have filled the tub with water to use in case the power went out again.  Ever done that?

We've had generators- 3. They all were ruined from the gas put into them (and lawnmowers and chainsaws) since we can't get straight gasoline.  So generators isn't my thing. I suppose it would need to be solar, but seems a pricey alternative for now.