Posted on 03/01/2025 7:23:36 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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Nice update!
Nice update!
Ok, another 6 hours of cooking, and the beans seem almost there. Time to add the ham bone and broth. :-)
The reason for draining is to remove the oliosaccarides IIRC as well as the Lectins.
I would use a pressure cooker to cook the beans. Per Miss Vickys Pressure Cooker book you should cook them with some fat and maybe a dried red pepper and a clove of garlic for flavor. Use about 2 inches of water to cover the beans and add some fat to prevent foaming. I usually add a dried hatch chili pepper and a clove of garlic when I cook. Again, no acid in the cooking water, it makes the beans tough. Time; She gives 18 minutes, but I usually do 20-22 and pull it off and use the Natural release method. (Let it sit off the flame until cool.)
Good luck! If that does not work I can't say what will!
Yesterday & today have been ‘glorious’, sunny & spring like! The high today will be 74, yesterday was about 70.
Mom & I had cleaned up the back yard & had a huge burn pile, but it is fire season ... can’t burn until after 4 & our Knoll is almost always windy. Yesterday, I noticed
the wind was forecast at 5 mph, not 5-10 or 5-15. It looked like our chance to burn & after getting home around 5, with virtually no breeze at all, we got the whole pile burned - it took until just after sunset. While I tended to the fire in the back, mom started picking up sticks in the front & carried them back to go on the burn pile - probably got 90% of the front done, which was a huge accomplishment.
Around 3, an elderly relative asked if I could come help take her cat to the vet. Something had bitten his leg & he was feeling poorly. The cat sort of knows me - if I am visiting, he hangs around for chin scratches, etc - having had cats, I know what they like. Still, getting a cat in a carrier can be a challenge. He was sleeping on a chair, so I rubbed his head, scratched his chin as he was waking up. Then I picked him up & put his head/shoulders in the carrier at which point he was like ‘nah, I don’t think so!’ I didn’t let him back out just held him there - he resisted twice more trying to back out, then gave up & walked on in. Yay - successful cat wrangle! I went with the relative to the vet - carrier is too heavy for her to carry. Two antibiotic shots & some liquid oral steroids (administered by the vet) & we were out of there. Hopefully, the cat won’t hold it against me that I am now the ‘cat carrier’ lady.
The asphalt contractor has been working on our new front driveway the last 2 days. It’s all dug out & we should get gravel tomorrow. After that, it will probably be 3-4 months before actual asphalt goes down.
The contractor & I were talking in the front yard yesterday when we both saw the same thing and exclaimed almost in unison “bald eagle”!! It must have come off the river & was taking a look around the area - beautiful bird!
You guys put me to shame!
All we got accomplished today was chop wood for the next ‘cook down’ of Maple Syrup, power washed the UTV (Mud City!) and the dog kennels (all dogs were in the Exercise Yard at the time) ) and I cleaned out more mouse and chipmunk nests in the greenhouse while I got flats arranged for planting next week.
We have a string of gorgeous days ahead, then some MUCH NEEDED rain, and them some more warmth.
We heard the first ROBINS of the Spring this evening while we were watching our Red-Headed Woodpecker come to the feeder, take a peanut, go back to his tree and then come back for more; about 12 times until I had to go in to start supper and Beau went to do the evening barn chores.
Who has more FUN than us? Nobody! :)
So, for my 70+ weather I took daughter's cat out for awhile and later Sprayed the lawn (Mostly Zoysia) for Creeping Charlie and Chickweed. I am starting to see what I can throw out when our large item pickup day comes.
I have not ordered any new seeds this year other than some Hybrid Prospera Basils, Cilantro, and, Hera Dill from Johnnies seed. I have a 20' x 30' garden plot and enough tomato and other seed for a couple of acres. I am cutting back on gardening this year and will avoid the intensive (and successful) rotation and interplanting of the last few years.
Did some major pruning on my 2 plum trees. Need to pull some weeds along the fences in the "Floral Borders".
So...Does Wisconsin have a tariff on Imports of maple syrup from Maine and NewYork? :)
Canadian beer....I suspect that the price on LaBlatt and Molson ales will be going up if they have not gone up already!
Hi, see above:
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4301321/posts?page=203#203
So, I seem to have finally “got there”. Plus, I’ve had 2 meals out of my big batch of bean soup, and, no gas. :-)
Unfortunately, I have a new, bigger, (non-bean) problem — will be posting below...
Hi, All!
Has anyone here ever removed the impeller on a Water Ace well (jet) pump? The bloody thing appears to be press fit onto the motor shaft, and I can’t see any way to get it off without breaking the impeller. I’ve used moderate pressure and penetrating oil overnight, to no avail. The impeller is plastic, so, heat is “out”. If I break the impeller, the whole pump is toast, as the company is out of business.
I tried hunting for a vid online - no dice.
The root problem (I think) is scale buildup behind the impeller, which keeps causing it to jam. I tried getting some CLR in behind the impeller, which freed it up, but after I reinstalled the pump, it ran for maybe 2 minutes (as I was trying to flush the system) and then the impeller jammed again. Getting the pump in and out is a HUGE pain.
Just as bad, the alternative replacements locally are either brands I have no confidence in at all, or up in the $400+ range. Best bet would be a Wayne, but, as I leaned not far back, when it comes to some of their products they don’t have some of the most basic repair parts available, sometimes... (Long story)
Thanks in advance!
Is the motor bad?
Are the bearings “good”?
Take it to a pump repair company. Ask their shop’s advice. Don’t forget to buy something (if they are helpful).
Is the motor bad?
The motor is fine.
Hunting around online, I found one well service company in the area who appears to do pump repairs. I’ll try calling them once they are open. They are ~45 minutes away.
I wonder if anyone makes well pump “front ends”...
I found one other possible shop, a bit closer, but I think they only do big stuff. Like big excavation / mining equipment and locomotive engines. (eye roll!)
Nah, he likes building the BIG FIRE and cooking it down. He has a special pan now with ‘chambers’ and it holds two gallons of sap at a time.
You can BUY Maple Syrup? *SMIRK* Who knew? ;)
Neither of us are beer drinkers. And, sadly, you can now FREELY buy Margarine in Wisconsin and nobody bats an eye!
I remember trips from Milwaukee to (an undisclosed location) in Illinois with Mom and Grandma to buy Margarine on the sly. If I was a good girl (and stayed quietly in the trunk there and back, LOL!) I got to stir the yellow powder into the goop to make it LOOK like butter...in case the cops showed up to inspect our fridge! ;)
I learned early that you can usually ‘get around’ any silly law Mother Government throws at you thanks to ‘Grand-Ma Barker’ and her daughter. ;) Good Times!
Last I heard the weather guessers are guessing there's some wind coming towards the end of the week. 50mph-ish gusts kind of wind - not terribly destructive but it will bring the dead/loose stuff out of the treetops for sure.
Yesterday after work I picked up the framing lumber I need to do the end walls in my hoop house, two 1cu/ft bags of potting soil, two packs of mesclun mix seeds, and a pack of cayenne seeds. After I got home I unloaded the lumber in the garden and got most of the south end wall framed up.
I'm heading to STL after work today to see my Mother from another Brother. She needs some help with her garden so I'm going to look at it to see if I can get in with the tractor and rototiller to work it up for her. If the tractor can get into the spot I'll go back later after the ground dries up enough to work without turning it into a cloddy mess. If the tractor won't fit I'll come up with Plan B to get it ready for planting.
It's gonna be a long day...
For now I’m going to run with a Wayne pump I have that has a damaged base. Just got that straightened out - mostly...
Even these pricey Wayne pumps have crap capacitors in them, so, I can expect it to fail in 3 years or so. I popped the cover and got the value and voltage, so at least I have some time to try to find a better cap* when the time comes...
*Actually will likely have to be some parallel or series-parallel mylar or pp caps outside the case...
https://www.translate.com/english-klingon
(Includes curses)
.
Mon Dieu! Quelle Horror! You are the Dairy state! More cows than People! (More registered voters than population!)
"I remember trips from Milwaukee to (an undisclosed location) in Illinois..."
My father would drive us up to Salem Wisconsin to buy Kaukauna Club Cheese in ceramic crocks and fresh Sheboygan brats! (Both better tasting than margarine!)
Well, this winter when the power goes out and you need to use the fireplace gently remind him that he used 1/2 a cord of wood to reduce to 3 pints of maple syrup you used up by November on your Saturday Buckwheat pancakes! (Good pancakes!) :)
Sorry, I am on city water and have no experience with well pumps. (I do change brushes on Electric motors if necessary.)
By now you should be home! hope it went well!
Good to hear from you! I don’t think I can hold a candle next to you or your mom!
We aren’t allowed to burn anything here in our HOA unless it’s in a fire pit/fire ring. So anything we gather from the yard is used as kindling during the winter.
Now that it’s daylight saving time, and evening temps aren’t below 40 for long, we aren’t building indoor fires anymore. We may get one more fire in on the weekend, but that remains to be seen.
We are enjoying the 60-70 degree highs, and lots of sun! Ok, I’M enjoying the sun! Hubby is still wearing sunglasses indoors after his eye surgery a week ago. He is getting to the frustrating part of being a good patient, but the healing is going slower than he wants (but on schedule according to the doctor). It’s a little bit bothersome to him, that is isn’t healing faster, but I remind him to be patient. He’s a good sport - most of the time.
We’ve played lots of Yahtzee and backgammon. Have watched lots of movies, listened to podcasts, and watched plenty of sports (soccer, hockey, and basketball mostly). Ran through several episodes of National Geographic tv. Whatever floats his boat, I go with. I’m keeping up with the meals, the laundry, and general housekeeping. We are both looking forward to when he is released to “normal” activity.
At Walmart today, there were planters with several bulbs in them. The tiny crocuses were coming up, with daffodils getting ready. Also in the pot are tulips and grape muscari. I couldn’t resist. I needed a little bit of spring to help my mood. Around here, things are starting to pop up, but nothing has opened yet. These should be a week or two ahead of my yard.
I think it’s great that you’re in a position to help out your relative with her cat. I know she appreciates it!
Hugs to all my FRiends out there! I love being able to come here and read all the posts. It’s good to know there are so many kind and thoughtful people out there.
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