That's the Way It Crumbles, Cookie-Wise

[Marie Mallory]

In NE Ohio, it was a tradition to eat pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day. It would bring good luck for the year. My mother found a recipe for meatballs using only sausage and sauerkraut. Kills 2 birds with one stone and the sauerkraut enhances the sausage taste. I made a small batch last night with Jimmy Dean hot sausage.
I'm good to go for 2026.

In Georgia they told me you were supposed to eat black-eyed peas and collard greens. Black-eyed peas taste like dirt. And collard greens? I tried to eat it, twice.

A.I. says:
The dirt flavor in black-eyed peas often comes from geosmin, a natural compound produced by soil microbes, but it can also be caused by stale dried peas, mildew/mold, or insufficient rinsing/sorting to remove field dust and debris, with thorough washing and cooking with flavorful ingredients helping to mask or eliminate the off-putting taste.

I never noticed. Thanks now I will.Thats ok I didn't can that many jars.

 

[Nancy Hart]

I think one of your first posts in your old "trees and things" diary mentioned your dad's pear tree.

Your cartoon just triggered an idea!

Now that the hole has been made larger for the new heat pump to go up there (19" x 24"), the extension ladder would fit. At least sideways to the hallway. It would be steep, but where the woman has a rope, I could stick a 2x4 to keep it from tipping backwards. The extension ladder is shorter and lighter. I'll try that next time.

 

[Nancy Hart]

Everything had to work out just right to repair that tiny pc monitor. Nothing did.

The tip on the soldering iron I already had was too bulky to use on some of the tiny capacitors. My multimeter did not have a capacitance feature. They all do now. The largest capacitor held a charge, but you can't test how much it holds, without that feature. Not worth buying new equipment or a new circuit board.

Remembered something else I needed from the old pc last night. Had to bring in the 2nd TV for a temporary monitor. Rearranging things to make room for the TV and untangling wires was reminiscent of handling Christmas lights.

 

[Mary Stetler]

That bathroom was the first major remodeling project after becoming a first-time homeowner. Still remember the names of the contractors---Otha was the plumber and Marvin was the carpenter. I remember Otha yelling at Marvin, "Make sure that shower is level or it won't drain!"

The fiberglass shower came in two parts, but they still couldn't get the top part up the stairs. They had to completely remove a window and pull it up with a long rope from outside. Neighbors came by to watch. Two inches had to be trimmed off the top right side of the shower to accommodate the sloped ceiling.

I was going to put in a new tub an fixtures in hubby's bathroom and had a guy come to make an estimate. He was basically going to sell me the items, not do the reno. But when he left, I made some measurements and found they would have to take out the exterior wall to install and that did not get added to his costs. Rebuilding the front wall of the upstairs was outside of my savings for this job. I put in new shower glass.

 

[Marie Mallory]

I was going to put in a new tub an fixtures in hubby's bathroom and had a guy come to make an estimate. He was basically going to sell me the items, not do the reno. But when he left, I made some measurements and found they would have to take out the exterior wall to install and that did not get added to his costs. Rebuilding the front wall of the upstairs was outside of my savings for this job. I put in new shower glass.

I can't seem to set up living room, seems like no arrangement is going to be satisfactory.

 

[Nancy Hart]

I can't seem to set up living room, seems like no arrangement is going to be satisfactory.

I switched the living room and the dining room in my house. The furniture and the flow of traffic work much better now. Saved me from moving the front door, which I had been seriously contemplating for years.

 

[Don Alaska]

When our kids left home, we switched the den and the living room. The living room actually became the dining room, and the "living" moved into the den. I mostly leave the house stuff to my wife. I did take a closet (games closet) out of the den and put it on the other side of the wall in the main guest bedroom.

 

[Nancy Hart]

There was a new commercial on TV last night featuring my nemesis, John Elway. It reminded me. Four weeks ago, at the final session, the physical therapist used some gadget that sends electrical impulses through your shoulder. He kept increasing the strength and asking me to say "When." I wasn't about to be called a sissy, so he finally stopped by himself. Left it on for about 15 minutes. It started to get a little ouchy toward the end.

They say it's safe. Is it just a coincidence that my shoulder has been very sore all over since then, not just at one spot now? It feels like there is a big lump in there. Range of motion reduced. I can't think of anything else I did unusual at the time. Anyway, my strategy for recovery is out the window now. Back to square one unless/until this resolves.

Has anyone else had experience with this? He called it TENS or NMES?

 

[Don Alaska]

There was a new commercial on TV last night featuring my nemesis, John Elway. It reminded me. Four weeks ago, at the final session, the physical therapist used some gadget that sends electrical impulses through your shoulder. He kept increasing the strength and asking me to say "When." I wasn't about to be called a sissy, so he finally stopped by himself. Left it on for about 15 minutes. It started to get a little ouchy toward the end.

They say it's safe. Is it just a coincidence that my shoulder has been very sore all over since then, not just at one spot now? It feels like there is a big lump in there. Range of motion reduced. I can't think of anything else I did unusual at the time. Anyway, my strategy for recovery is out the window now. Back to square one unless/until this resolves.

Has anyone else had experience with this? He called it TENS or NMES?

I have used TENS but never had any trouble with it. It didn't help me much in the long run either, although I think it helped a little for a while.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

There was a new commercial on TV last night featuring my nemesis, John Elway. It reminded me. Four weeks ago, at the final session, the physical therapist used some gadget that sends electrical impulses through your shoulder. He kept increasing the strength and asking me to say "When." I wasn't about to be called a sissy, so he finally stopped by himself. Left it on for about 15 minutes. It started to get a little ouchy toward the end.

They say it's safe. Is it just a coincidence that my shoulder has been very sore all over since then, not just at one spot now? It feels like there is a big lump in there. Range of motion reduced. I can't think of anything else I did unusual at the time. Anyway, my strategy for recovery is out the window now. Back to square one unless/until this resolves.

Has anyone else had experience with this? He called it TENS or NMES?

Maybe the doctor turned it up too much , and that is why the whole shoulder hurts ?
@Bobby Cole has a couple of those TENS machines, one that he takes along for when we go to the fitness center and he needs it there, so maybe he can give you a better idea of why it made your shoulder worse.

Have you tried DMSO on the shoulder yet ? It is pretty much my go-to for anything that hurts anywhere , and it always seems to help it heal. It comes in creams and roll-on and just in a regular plain bottle. I add mine to a small spray bottle that has some water in it and just spray it wherever i need it. It can’t hurt anything, and might help.