2022-05 May Prep Journal and To-Do Lists

I Have To Defrost the Freezer this month. There it is, in writing for all to see…no excuses now 🙂. I know that I’m buying food that I don’t need because I don’t know what’s in there.

I was waiting for DH to get his meds at CVS so I walked around looking at prices. One can of Progresso soup, $4.49. One bag of Nutter Butter cookies, $5.39. A small container of All detergent $17.39. Note to self: make large batches of soup and bake cookies to freeze. Continue to buy All at Costco when it’s on sale.

Plans for May—garden, garden, garden.

I start working fewer hours starting this week! That will allow me to get things done at home. Garden is the big next project. I don't work till Wednesday, and the weather will be good all this week (finally). Better then half of my seedlings died. It was just too much with work, no water in the basement, woodburner not running (I don't think the heat pads were enough), etc. So Monday I'll go "to work" as a customer and buy seedlings, lol. Most of what I grew I can direct sow....but a few things need to be started early.

Allergy season 2 has kicked in. This "season" is the stuffy head runny nose kind - versus season 1 which is killer headaches. I wake up with a very foggy head...but if I push through it usually clears by late morning or lunch. And yes, that's after taking allergy meds and steroids nightly, lol.

Today Hubby make a path for me to my chicken door. This year is the first year the walkway (between coop and compost) has been a soupy muddy mess.....like 4" of mud! So he "planted" concrete blocks for me

I found asparagus crowns on sale...50% off! I bought 2 bags for a total of 12 crowns. Asparagus has been on my wish list for 10 yrs now! I got them planted today. Hope to be able to harvest in a few years. I have no idea how much asparagus we will get from 12 crowns, but since we only eat it fresh and only a few times a year....our needs aren't high. But we would be will to eat it more if growing in our yard

We are keeping the freeze dryer going.  Rotisserie chicken from Sam's is the thing we do the most.  Then boil the bones for a day or so and freeze dry the broth.  We are focusing on protein right now as nothing is "in season" here.  Once fruit and veg start coming on we will likely buy fewer chickens.  But then again.....sometimes gas at Sam's is 40-50 cents cheaper a gallon....so it's worth the trip.  And if we are already there.....well....chickens follow us home, lol.  I can't buy a large raw chicken and roast it at home for $4.99!

Ohio Dreamer,I was reading the comments on a youtube video about growing lettuce and someone mentioned that their garage is too cold for germination so they use a crockpot to heat an old fridge. I wonder if you would get a mold issue that way, so>

Maybe feather, can carefully explain (maybe with pictures, please) how she uses a dehyrator. That is a very clever idea and lady!

I'm back to report an amazing occurence! Last month I finally had the chance to put eggs in my new incubator. I'd calibrated the heat before, but a week or so ago, I noticed that the heat was really too high. I was disappointed and figured the chicks were killed. I thought a bird was caught in our chimney flue again,and was too busy to open and get it out yesterday as we were away on a day trip. Today, it dawned on me that I was hearing chicks! I ran around getting together their brooder box and have five chicks (two may or may not get out of their shells, dead already?)One was caught in the egg turner and it's leg is gimpy, so it may not make it. Woo hoo! Happy Chicken Mother's day to me!

Congrats midtnmama, that's so cool. OHM, that was a miracle in plain sight, AND you dreamt of chicken! A miracle and a dream vision. Spiritual awakening. Happy mother's day!

Humm...I thought I'd be here more once I started working fewer hours, lol. Not yet, lol. I'm home more, but working just as much

I have most of the garden in. Bit more to do. Started widening the paths in the house. Housework did not get done when I was working 5 days a week (people were lucky to get food and clean clothes). I, now, have the living areas back to "it's not clean but I can live with it" mode. Now....the project I have been wanting to get to since January!! The basement. Started working down there yesterday. I'm rearranging, so everything comes off shelves and moves. Got 2 shelves done yesterday. Now I have a pile of trash I need to move. It is sitting where the next shelving unit will move to. But instead of doing that, I'm here, lol.

Work is very short-handed at the moment. They asked if there was any possibility I could come in on my days off and cover lunches. So I went in yesterday from 11:30-2 and will again today. It's not a must-do, but could you?? I work normal hours tomorrow, then off for 4 days while hubby and I go to a Ham Fest. Doing it while we can, DS still lives at home so animals will be cared for. Hubby needs to get away BADLY! Then next week he has surgery...so he will have to work from home for a few weeks. Great time for me to work in the basement!!!

OK...chickens are calling, they want to be fed. The trash pile won't move on its own. Have a great day all!!!

Glad to see you, Ohiodreamer. So nice of you to help your coworkers. I am also putting in more hours to help.

"it's not clean but I can live with it" mode--Ha! I am in the same boat, now.

This year I plan to save seeds as much as I can. I've already started to save the turnip green seeds from plants we ate all winter that have gone to seed. I put the stems into a feed bag in the garage and later stomp on the bag to loosen the seeds. Then I plant the leftover chaff on top of big pots and they make seedlings to transplant, too. I'm excited that one of the onion tops I planted last summer are turning into flower/seeds. All the garlic I have now is from volunteers because the fancy kind was pulled and were eaten by bugs before I could replant. Oh well. At least there is garlic!