Jason closes his journal... Thanks!! I love you!!

[lorihadams]

God Bless you Jay..... I don't know if I could do what you have done....thanks. I have friends that are former military and they struggle with memories sometimes too....I don't think you can ever forget.

Oh yeah, the sausage looks great!

 

[2chickenrich]

http://www.alliedkenco.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/336_338/sort/5a/page/2

This may help we make around 250Lbs. pork sausage every year use butcher shop gut just tie off the ends once it is smoked cut in links to fit the freezer bags keeps for 6 months as for the lard make some soap much healthier

 

[Dace]

May God bless you for all that you have done to serve our country.


Your sausage looks amazing! You should be very proud...you are right , there is nothing like homemade sausage!

 

[modern_pioneer]

Thanks....

Hmmmm.... I cooked some for dinner last night, still so yummy, but the casings kept splitting. That tells me that I am stuffing way to much meat into the casings while making the sausage. Its either worry about it and make small sausages or keep making the big ole links, which are good ole gut buster size.

Hey thanks for the hyper link, I will have a gander over there today and maybe utube as well.

I got a text from mark yesterday, a man down in Apollo harvested a 38 point buck a few days ago. There is some issues as a highway worker states he saw the man "hit" the buck with his truck, he didn't harvest it. I suspect that big buck stories are as plenty as big fish stories.

The cold storage unit I built in my garage is working very well, though my carrots are stored in a damp sand box, I will need to either eat or freeze them as I think I failed to add some water soon enough. I originally got the idea from my book, and they do taste different since I harvested them. I don't think I will continue to use this method, I think I will go back to freezing them.

I went hunting yesterday and harvested one rabbit, which happened to just be there. Won't be much of a meal to feed four people, so perhaps I will have a wild game dinner one night. So far I have harvested 11 pheasant, 2 grouse, and 1 rabbit. I did walk up on some small turkey hens, but saw that they were just too small to harvest. But if I don't kick up a bigger bird soon, I might just have to go back in that area and see if I can harvest whatever I can get before the season closes.

 

[lorihadams]

Make a pot of vegetable stew! Cut your rabbit into pieces and brown it in a pan. Put the meat into the stew and voila! dinner.

For my veggie stew I use 1 large bottle of V8 juice or if you have some tomato juice that you canned yourself that is good too. Some stock depending on what kind of meat i'm using....if you want to use stock from the rabbit then put all the meat and bones in some water after you brown it and simmer until the meat falls off the bone. Then transfer the meat and whatever broth you need to the pot of soup. Save any broth you have left for later (you can freeze it in a glass jar). I add a mixed bag of dry beans (prepared with the quick soak directions and some mixed veggies (whatever you like) I usually use corn, peas, green beans, carrots, a diced potato, some tomatoes cut up, and some onion. Then I throw in a couple bay leaves, some oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, salt, pepper, cilantro, hot sauce, whatever seasonings you like. start it when you get up in the morning and let it simmer away on the stove all day long on low heat, covered and by dinnertime it's done! I have done this with rabbit, squirrel, deer, ground beef, chicken or a mixture of whatever leftover meat I may have in the fridge.

Just make enough soup that you can freeze the leftovers. I freeze mine in pint jars and Chad takes them to work and unscrews the lid and heats it in the microwave and that is an easy lunch for him. One decent sized rabbit will be enought to flavor the soup nicely!

 

[modern_pioneer]

Today is the day that I become a non-smoker, I could bore you with how many years, how much money I have wasted, or how I put my own health at risk by smoking.

Am I nervous, sure I am, of what, I don't know... But w/ one burning in my hand now and two left in the pack, than my days of being a nicotine drug addict are over. I have only quit once, when I went into the service and during my time in the service. Once I got back into the civilian world, I started smoking again.

I know that there will be cravings to feed the nicotine monster inside me, and I will say " yippee I am a non-smoker " and just find my way through those times as they come.

Everyone has a few sayings that they use, I have several, but the most common are "it is what it is" and "when I am done, I am done" so without further notice, I am done with smoking.

I am not giving anything up, I am not loosing anything, fact is I am gaining many new things. I won't smell like smoke, my health, I will be able to breath better. I will not have to force myself to put up with pulling the smoke into my lungs, I will have extra money to spend on more productive things and so on......

Each urge I have to smoke, will be little mind battles that I will just have to get through for now. They won't last forever, 6-21 days I expect. I am not looking to any goal date or reward day that I will wake up and say its gone. As of a matter of fact, I will remind myself everyday/hour I am a non-smoker yippee!!!

Please visit my journal and post everyday how wonderful/benefits of being a non-smoker is. That would be some good support that I need at this brief moment and time in my life.

Meanwhile, I am not going to kid myself and just say, one won't hurt, because it will. I won't use any type nicotine product, no gum, no snuff, no chew, no patch, and no smoking.

 

[big brown horse]

I'm proud of you man, it isn't easy. You don't seem like the mushy type, but I thought you needed a hug.

I agree with you though, cold turkey is the best way.

 

[pioneergirl]

Smoke free for 3 years now, and let me tell ya, it gets better every year!!

You, my friend, are better than I....I tried cold turkey, patches, pills, 'fakies', etc. What it finally came down to was hypnosis. Thats what did it for me and I've never looked back.

I will try to visit your journal each day with a great fact of being smoke-free

So, for today, once you finish those last 2, here is one great thing:

You don't have to spend the time, or the money driving to th store for another pack/carton. Savings all 'round!

You've done a lot, and although this is no small potatoes, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

 

[noobiechickenlady]

WAY TO GO!!! You can do it, man!!
So glad to have a "pal" who is doing this at the same time.
One WILL hurt, you'll start the withdrawal all over again, I know this. Even a super nasty menthol one still has nicotine in it.

Don't be too nervous, you remember what it's like to be a non-smoker, right? I do. It wasn't hard just being one. Once you get past the monster, you'll be one again.

Benefits, let see, you'll smell better, for sure! Most women prefer the smell of a freshly sweaty male over stale ciggie smoke ANY day of the week.
You'll taste your food like never before, so much flavor! Oh those sausages, you didn't even taste them before. At least, not like you will!
We can do it! We can do it! :bun :bun :bun

 

[Dace]

Congrats Jay!

Awesome job....you CAN do it!!!