Welcome to Happenings on the Homestead #85! October is here! I wish I could say that our world or my life is getting better but I cannot. So much going on this week that my head is spinning. I guess I should be thankful that the year is flying by!

We were back in the ER with my dad again with yet another kidney stone. At first, they thought he might avoid going to the hospital in the big city. But then the CT showed a large kidney stone blocking his kidney from emptying. So we drove to the big city hospital Friday night. They put in a stint Saturday morning and we brought him home today. He will have to go in for an outpatient procedure next week to crush the stone. Poor fella has really struggled with these stones.

Today is also a month since my friend Debbie died from COVID. Her family has taken some of her ashes to the beach and this weekend they are taking some to the mountains. It has been a hard journey for her family and all of her friends.

Did you miss last week’s HOTH? Find it HERE!

Homestead Garden Update

I replaced a few broccoli plants that had died. There are still (12) left that I had transplanted into pots. Those will probably be planted next weekend. Everything else seems to be doing well except for the strawberries. They got a late-season disease of some sort and most of the Sweet Charlie has died off. My hope is that what is left with thrive come spring.

Picked some jalapeño peppers and took those to my daughter today. They are still producing. A couple of weeks ago I picked a small bucket full and we sat on the front porch and had a seeding party. Those are cleaned, halved, and seeded in the freezer.

Meal Plan

• Monday: Leftovers
• Tuesday: Taco Tuesday!
• Wednesday: Take-out – fish plates
• Thursday: Breakfast – eggs, sausage, and cheese grits
• Friday: McDonald’s on the road
• Saturday: Pork fried rice
• Sunday: Salsa verde beef soft tacos with fixings

Related: Versatile Fried Rice That’s Better Than Take-Out

Since dad has moved off the homestead, he is coming to dinner only a few times a week. We have enjoyed some quiet evenings together. Chris surprised me with fishplates on Wednesday so I didn’t have to cook. It was a pretty easy week for the meal plan. Once we got home with dad today, I threw some browned chuck roast pieces in the crockpot with some sautéed onions and a small can of salsa verde. This makes wonderful soft tacos with very little effort.

Other Happenings on the Homestead

We picked up a half pig Saturday that we had processed. This put sausage, ground pork, pork shoulder, ribs, and pork chops in the new freezer. We have friends that raise pigs and they have been selling them due to health issues. In fact, we have purchased two halves when other buyers couldn’t be secured. No problem for us! We are happy to have homestead raised meat in our freezer. The other half isn’t ready for pick up yet because it has cured products in the order.

With a trip to Costco today, we are right along with approximately 50% of Americans who are preparing for hard times. That is the statistic I heard recently. And that includes folks from all political views. Whether the hard times are from the election, pandemic, or economic in nature, stocking up is never a bad thing. I encourage everyone to at least tuck away a few things for a rainy or hard day.

Thank you for stopping by to check out this week’s happenings on the homestead. Take care, everyone! And stay safe!

Melissa

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