Yep, when it’s -25 degrees F, you don’t want to spend a lot of time outside. There are plenty of other small work you can do inside! Thank God, both Will and I are over that nasty cold. After not being sick since 2018, we were miserable. Likewise, our friends, Mike and Dara, had suffered the same thing (like nearly everyone we knew). For the first time in quite a while they and grandson, Drew, gathered at the table and we all packed seeds all day Saturday! Of course, we also had a gab fest while working too. You know, planning what we’ll be planting, talking about new varieties we’ve discovered, Drew’s plans for the house. We got a lot done!
Will and Drew have been working on getting the double wall stovepipe put together on David’s old house. It’s been slow because of having to assemble and weld the support brackets needed to hold the heavy, long length of pipe up and away from the houses outside wall. As we don’t have a heated shop, they’ve been doing all but welding in the living room. It’s a little “cozy” in there, as I have also been shelling lots of corn in there and kernels of corn tend to fly everywhere when I’m shelling with our little hand-held corn sheller. Makes quite a mess, for sure! Oh well, things are getting accomplished, so all is good.
I forgot to tell you, we saw a wolf again, out on our beaver pond. My camera wasn’t handy, so I grabbed my phone and snapped a couple of photos. It’s so cool to watch them, right out our window. He didn’t stick around long though, as he was heading for the woods across the pond at a steady trot.
I want to take this moment to tell everyone that I’m not retiring from my writing, both for Backwoods Home and Self-Reliance magazines or my western novel series. We are just transferring the seed business to our friends, Lynn and Jesse, in Wisconsin, as the physical work of tending five acres of gardens, haying all summer, and other homestead tasks, was getting to be more than we could handle. Yep, I’ll still be around for a long time, God willing. — Jackie
In reading Elizabeth’s comment, I am wondering if pork leaf-fat lard will go rancid fairly quickly?
Looking forward to Jess’s next adventure in your book, but wonder how you will ever find the time, because you are still going to do way more work than most of us! Your dedication to the blog and magazines, plus all the daily efforts of life on the homestead is impressive. Yet you still add much more to your calendar and we continue to be inspired by you and Will. Thanks for being you.
I have six year old lard that I rendered and it’s still fine. I work on the Jess books while I’m sleeping or just lying there, wanting to go to sleep.
I’m not special. I just love what I do!
Testing 123
So happy to know you and Will are both feeling better. Take good care of Jackie and Will!!
Glad to hear that you will continue writing. I always turn to “Ask Jackie” first before anything else!! Those are my only two magazines.
Yep, I love writing for the magazines. They’re the only ones I’ve chosen to write for, despite offers from others. I feel it’s my family and family sticks together.
That’s great news Jackie, I have to say I was a bit worried about it. I don’t blame you a bit about the seed business as thats a lot of work for just 2 people. I use you canning book all the time and think of you and Will every time I use one of your books. For Christmas I gave my granddaughter and her (almost) fiance you canning basics book as they are talking about wanting to learn to can.
I hope your granddaughter and her boyfriend (almost fiancé) do start canning. It’s so much fun and money-saving. Plus you actually know what’s in your food.
I use my canning book every time I can, no matter how long I’ve canned. It’s pretty easy to make a mistake and forget a time. Mistakes equal food that’s going to go bad.
Such a relief to hear you will still be writing for the 2 magazines I subscribe to. You have encouraged me, taught me and corrected me. Thank you. God bless you.
It would be hard for me not to write for the magazines as I feel we’re all part of a homestead family. I’d sure miss it!!
I didn’t know you are writing a western novel series! Where can I get them?
Yep, I’ve written four, so far, Summer of the Eagles, Autumn of the Loons, Winter of the Wolves and Spring of the Vultures. You can go to http://www.seedtreasures.com and get them. One warning, though, do not start one late in the evening. I’ve been told by multiple people that they had to read all night because they couldn’t put the book down. And they had to work in the morning! I had to laugh.
Wow! A very busy day! Seed processing for you. We got a wolf on our camera- very shy but definitely a wolf, Been years since they’ve been so close. Elk herd I’m sure has brought them back in area. Got a few asparagus and onion seed sown. Trying to‘bake’ my own soil for seed starting as reliable package soil is not good here. Read your tips for how to and you were right! Pee ew! Glad to hear All your writing is going to continue. SO encouraging ,enjoyable and interesting work you write! Thank you Jackie!
You’re welcome, Mary. I love my writing and it is sure easier on the sore knees than weeding a quarter acre of corn. Yep, “baking angleworms” sure stinks. I think of the smell as bacteria and fungus dying. I screen my baked soil so it’s nice and fluffy, with small particles. It works fine.
Love of Faith, Family, Friends and all God’s creation. Your pictures and words say it beautifully Jackie. Thank you and as always, Peace!
Yep, God is our partner in everything we do. We sure love our life!!
Retirement ! I didn’t think you would ever say that word, never the less write about it…LOL
Now, slowing down a little is probably a good thing. It’s no shame to rearrange your life a little to give you a some down time now and then. So glad you two are feeling better. I’ve been worried about you when I watch the weather, though. Here in central Ohio, we had some snow, very little ice and lots of cold weather for here. It hasn’t been above freezing for weeks here.
We had one well shut down on us, but lucky for us we had a new one drilled several years ago since we’ve been having some very dry summers for the last 3 years, so all we had to do was
turn the valve to switch to the new one. All set now. Nice that you have someone close to you who can take over the seed business. Someone who cares as much as you do about saving the varieties. So please enjoy your little bit of new free time, no one is ever going to think of you and your family as idle people. Stay well.
Thank you Sherrie. Yep, I would never say I’m retiring. Not at all. Like you said, we just are rearranging our very busy life to suit our bodies. I wouldn’t wait to transfer the seed business until after we were doing a poor job of saving seed or getting them out to people.
I’m so glad you had that new well to rely on. And that you had the forethought to have it drilled, just in case. A lot of times, that “just in case” actually happens. That’s what true preparedness is!
Good for you getting things done in that cold even!
And thank goodness, it’s warmed up even more. Plus, our cold is gone! No more coughing and blowing the nose constantly!!
I never thought you’d retire from writing or growing food. Only having a lesser size garden for your own consumption/canning and helping Lynn and Jesse.
I did get a bit of a chuckle that was your group is stuffing seed envelopes, there is stuffing mix/bread on the table.
I don’t care how shelling corn and how careful you are, the kernels have a mind of their own. Come spring, I shop vac my shed. I dump the shop vac into the woods are there are plenty of seeds of all sorts. I might do a quick sweep and dump if it is not during one of the days on end cold snaps.
The adult cat is doing better with the kittens. We’re no where near detente, much less having all unsupervised. We’re a month from spay day which I *hope* helps.
So heartening to see Drew has a strong work ethic. And I bet Will is thrilled to be with his grandson. Too few kids today have the opportunity to have living grandparent(s), much less be close enough to spend time with them. My kids our the only grandchildren on my side. Local kiddo visits my dad almost every week. Out of town kiddo stays in touch and visits when in the area.
Yes, we are both happy to have Drew around. He’s a good, cheerful worker and wants to learn homesteading skills. He’s already a welder by trade so that sure helps. Grandpa “let’ him weld the brackets.
I also use a shop vac to pick up the wild, stray corn kernels. I dump it out on the edge of the woods where we feed the turkeys and deer. They think it’s great!
Hey, don’t laugh at those boxes of stuffing. I got them for fifty cents a box at Walmart, after Christmas! Yeah, I know they’re not “homemade”, but sure make a quick addition to dinner at times.
Jackie, I went through all my larder storage tubs and gamma buckets last week. Threw out 4 five-gallon bucketsful of rancid stuffing, saltines, club crackers, fritos, other chips, etc. that were years old, and even vacuum-sealed to no avail; at least no good after 3 to 5 years old. I didn’t think about the oils in them that go rancid, when I preserved them. Even my canned butter is getting no good rancid; canned in 2022. All my canned milk went down the drain, 3 to 5 years old. So hard lesson to learn. If you “can” it, use it soon!
I understand about the stuffing, crackers, etc. going rancid. But I have canned butter from 2020 that’s fine and milk that’s nearly as old. How did you process them?
I hate to waste food, even by mistake! Too bad you don’t have chickens. They would love it all>
A deal is a deal and with a little effort (as in using stock v. water), boxed stuffing is edible – especially if you have gravy. Gravy or ketchup can help salvage a meal (as can mayo in certain cases).
Selena, Truth! At the price of .50 a box!! Ketchup or gravy would taste good with.