WEATHER, FOOD, POLITICS

A bit nippy out this morning. And I am thankful it is only nippy, as in slightly chilly. Dragon says the leaves are not hanging around long over by Pittsburgh. They turn and then fall. Looks like nature is getting it over and done with early this year. I keep saying that it is gonna be a bitch of a Winter but I don't have any idea how many people go along with that. Getting those beans shelled is looking like a good idea right about now. I have about a third of them done and have garnered 40 pounds of beans. That is going to give me an amazing harvest. My BIL doesn't like beans but I am hoping he can rid himself of this dislike quickly and easily. I found out that the Amish are not used to shelling beans. They buy one pound bags of Navy and Great Northern beans like most of America. The wife is going to sell them a 5 pound bag of my Cranberry beans and let them try them. The beans are non-hybrid and the Amish understand the meaning of saving and replanting. IF they do okay with them next year they might have a long term food solution to compliment their regular efforts. They can a lot, green beans and tomatoes and squash and stuff like that. They put up a little meat also. Their practices in canning are not what is considered good by modern standards. They use all sorts of jars for canning. A lot of them are just jars from stores that they keep and use for storing their own food. No canning lids or stuff like that. They definitely do not follow the stringent rules of the Blue Book but they can food and eat it later and they are not getting sick. I'll keep an eye on that.

I got a couple of good ideas from George Ure over at Urban Survival this morning. http://urbansurvival.com/week.htm should get you there just fine. His first premise I liked was about cattle rustling and horse stealing. Both of these acts severely curtailed a man's chances of living. But now days we have people robbing 401k plans like a kid in a candy store and nothing is done about it. George thought a quick noose on the end of a short rope might be just the thing to stop some of the financial shenanigans going on these days. George also has link up to http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/the_dead_end_kids_AnwaWNOGqsXMuIlGONNX1K which let you know that over 52% of the kids 18 to 24 are unemployed right now. They cannot get work. Tell all of your young friends who have a job to hang on to it if they need it. And you older folks can get ready to be joined by your kids pretty soon. We will be having the GREAT RE-ACQUAINTANCE with our brats. And good for us, I say. Many hands make light work. If you happen to find a couple of other families in the same boat, well, you have the makings of a clan. And a clan is a good thing.

My money is starting to run low but I am not saddened by it. We have gotten copious amounts of Vitamin C, Vitamin D-3, Echinacea, and today I am having the wife pick up 10 pounds of butter and a case of pint canning jars. We will use Remus' recipe from The Woodpile Report. Our main problem is that Remus does NOT maintain an archive and thus we will be a little bit up the proverbial creek without a paddle. Such is life. We will find a way. Remus, if you are tuned in today, please send us the butter canning recipe. Wife wants to use it. We also got a one gallon bag of beans out of the freezer this morning. Lots of good eating in there. We will let them warm back up to room temperature, add a couple Bay Leaves, and store them. Vermin do not like Bay leaves. I just talked to a woman who is of some age and she has been buying $100 of canned goods EXTRA every month. She is aiming on surviving no matter what. But some of those older folks don't mind prepping at all. Too many stories about the depression still run around in their heads I have many more beans to shell and lots of peppers to string up. I just had a talk with the Handmaiden and all systems are GO for the butter canning tomorrow. At last I will have canned butter! And not the expensive stuff from New Zealand or wherever. Just real butter from a local dairy, sealed in a jar and ready for us to eat when we want it. We get preps! Stay alive!

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net