Good morning, friends...It's been an interesting week. I cooked...did some canning in my favorite canner from Presto. It's electric and works like a dream. You heat then fill your jars then (20 minutes) then basically, set it and forget it! I got up early (3am) as usual, got all my supplies out and put it all together then canned hamburger meat. Usually, 5lbs hamburger makes 5-pint jars...usually. I got 4 jars of finished meat.
For just Larry and I, 2 lbs. of canned hamburger should do us for a while. The white stuff you see is fat...also some spice.
I also canned some Great White Northern beans. We love most beans...at least Larry does. I can't eat Black Beans...never have been able to wrap my head around a bean that was black...It's a mental thing...they look like the dirt wasn't washed off...lol
I had the set since the '80's but the salt one broke years ago. I kept the pepper one in my desk at work filled with salt... for years. I still keep it at my desk here at home. I had no idea it was such an expensive little shaker!
Larry has his 6-month round of BCG cancer treatments starting once a week for the next 4 weeks on Fridays...I guess he'll do these for the rest of his life...don't know yet.
In the photo above, the waiting room was full when we arrived...and then...
You all remember my sister Ruth? Well, she's doing great and has had a knee replacement since her colon cancer treatments. Everything has been rocking along pretty well...she still would have anger issues occasionally...but nothing I couldn't deal with... until
Jan 27th.
We usually can talk about most things...life, cooking, canning...sewing...you know, the casual stuff.
Larry had been checking out our property tax payment online (making sure the payment was attributed to the correct account) ...it had been...so he looked at Ruth's account...You can look at other people's accounts here in Texas because it's public record. Ruth pays a couple of hundred on her account...whenever. Says she's done it this way for over 20 years...well it's now up to over $6,ooo. I happened to mention that she might want to start picking up on her payments because the amount she owes was growing. I offered to help her with the money to try to catch her up... (you know, being we are sisters) Okay...no big deal...she nodded her acceptance of my suggestion, said no thanks to my offer... and we moved on to her birthday gift I had brought her... (a planner for 2025...we both love them). And then after several hours of visiting, I went home.
Boom!
24 hours later, I get a text from her saying how dare I look at her account and get into her business...(I know...I shouldn't have said a thing) Now get this...She says she never wants to see me again...that I will never inherit anything from her "estate" (what estate) and that I'm to never contact her ever again...I'm suppose to "do" my family and she'll "do" her's...What?
I'm so tired...It's in my nature to run out to her place and try to straighten things out when she gets like this, but she's never let it go this far. Words mean something and you really need to watch how you use them...Larry says to just let it go...she's always been this way and will never change. There have been other text that were downright nasty, but I'll just let you know...I think I'm done. She has always had a mean streak, just like our mother...and doesn't try to curb what comes out of her mouth. "I want my way, and I want it now" no longer works on me...so...I'll let her have her way...because I'm just numb from dealing with her weird way of looking at life and how to treat people and especially, family that has tried to help her. It's always someone else's fault. So be it. I'm tired of walking on eggshells and trying to remember how not to offend her. She's been "angry" since we were kids...I'm not going to be able to fix it now. Next step will be hers...if ever. Am I being too cold about it?
She's watching my other sister Mary (long story) and this is Bryan, her son. I'll go through her ex-husband and his wife Laura to see him...and will ask Laura to check on sister Mary... (cerebral palsy...and another long and ugly story). Ruth has guardianship of sister Mary so there's little I can do except keep a close check on her.
Oh! I'll bet you wish now that you had just kept rolling on by! lol
And then...lol
Needless to say...Once YOU check yourself OUT of a rehabilitation center...ADO... (against doctor's orders), the rehab will NOT take you back...no matter What you do or say...and neither will most others in town! It's the state ...check your own state's rules... We were SO fortunate to find a lesser quality one that decided to take a chance on him...thank you Jesus...He just needs to gain his strength back in order to function at home again. Getting up, walking...bathroom. Well, he knows he messed up big time...he now has a roommate that runs the TV nonstop and likes to chatter. Dad does not like to chatter and definitely does not want a TV on when trying to sleep...he's a bit miserable...but there may be a miracle on the horizon. There's a rehab about two miles from us that might take him...Encompass. Please say a tiny prayer for us!
Maybe you're saying to yourself, "why don't you just bring him to your house..."
There is no way we can take him in... we can't give him the rehab he needs, and we both aren't willing to put up with his crankiness...I'm 73 and Larry is 77. Gerald is 99 and still doing well (other than this recent bout with pneumonia).
I'm really not against bringing him here if he really needs it and have told him so...but Larry says...just no.
Because these are seed oils... (cause inflammation) try using a natural oil...tallow, lard...etc.
I have been trying to get the snap lid to open on this bottle of cleaner for ages...always ended up unscrewing the lid. Well, I got the bright idea (not many of those left in me...) to use a bottle opener. It worked! The liquid had dried the lid shut...now I can open it.
And lastly, we lost a sweet soul last night. This is Larry's cousin, Rodger. He didn't answer his son's phone calls so son called the Sherriff's dept for a welfare check...he was found deceased.
Most of our family are now on the other side so I know he's having a blast meeting up, once again, with his wife, parents and great Granson...Fly high Rodger! We love you.
So... until next time...count your blessings and I'm sorry to have strained your eyes on all this news...we are just in a rough patch right now...hopefully Dad will realize what wonderful sons he has, and Ruth Ann will remember who's been there for her when everyone else ran when they heard about her colon cancer...until then...
