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The very first thing I ever pressure canned was Chili. I had 2 jars out of 7 quarts seal. (I think it's still on the shelf.) I was devastated. Like cussing mad. I had a shit-ton of siphoning and a huge mess inside the canner. I had followed the directions in the pressure canner book. There's a nuance to everything. One of my jars of Roasted Marinara came unsealed sometime and left a sticky mess on the shelf. I didn't find it until I reached for the jar and it was stuck down. Then my dumb ass lifted the lid..... retch. I hurried up and dumped the contents into the compost and got hot water and dish soap into the jar. Jar has now been cleaned 3 times and refilled; back on the shelf. Shit happens. There are sooooo many teeny tiny steps that make a difference during the canning process. That means that sometimes things go wrong. Very often, the lack of a good seal is evident right after canning and you can save the product to eat right away. Other times, the seal breaks on the shelf and you have a mess on your hands. Clean it up and move on. Yes, there was effort, time and money inside that jar. It wasn't the whole batch. Try again another time. It's ok. You've wasted more time, effort and money on your ex than that one jar that unsealed. The jar rim can have a nick in it. I might have reused a lid that couldn't handle the pressure. There might have been a speck of food on the rim of the jar. There might have been siphoning during canning that let some of the product out onto the rim. The sealant of the lid you used didn't like the vinegar you wiped the rims with. I might have accidentally touched the sealant on the lid and the oils from my hand were enough to mess up the seal. Todays flat lids are much thinner and don't have as much sealant on them as they had in days past. There's a multitude of things that can go awry. Just keep trying. The more shit that goes down, means that's more that you've learned and can do differently.

No, this isn't my pantry, just a stock photo. Isn't it purty? A dozen years ago, I had an entire pantry room in the basement. I worked full time, raised cattle AND grew/put-up about 75% of our food, I was younger then. Fast forward through a few major life changes/injuries and I'm back to it. Just this past month I hit my goal of having a nicely stocked pantry and freezer. I've not been physically able to garden like I used to and the cattle were sold years ago. This means that a good portion of our food is still purchased. Handsome recently built me a couple more sturdy shelves for jars. I've been going through and organizing the pantry a little bit at a time. I really like these canned good racks** that I purchased from Amazon and they hold more than I thought. I keep them on the floor or the very top shelf. This leaves lots of space for jars in the middle shelves where I can see what I have on hand. I also purchased some baskets** for the pouches and boxes of dry goods. I've been using a Food Saver** with the Jar Attachment** to seal flour and pasta. Sugar and salt don't need to be vacuum sealed to stay fresh, they will just turn into a brick if you do. This is a good opportunity to use the jars with nicks in the rim and some of the old galvanized lids for looks. With the Extraordinary Venison Profusion of 2022 in full swing, I've used up alot of purchased canned goods that I had on hand. I'm looking forward to replacing them with home-canned products this next growing season. Very often, you will hear folks proclaim they are an "ingredient canner" or a "meals in a jar canner". I'm here to vote for both and freeze some too. On Saturday, Handsome was helping me with some chores that my back couldn't handle. I was working on canning some of the EVP 2022. The stove was full of canners, the fridge was full of deer, the sink was full of dirty dishes and finished jars. What in the world was I going to fix for lunch? I grabbed 2 jars of Chili and put them in a casserole to heat up in the oven. Boom, lunch! To make the Spaghetti Meat Sauce, I used quite a few home-canned tomatoes and home-canned spaghetti sauce. Put up what you have on hand at the time and then you can always make up something else later. Sometimes that means you are gonna can deer cubes and other times that means you're gonna can deer stew. Sometimes it's gonna be Cooked Meat Mix and sometimes it's gonna be Hamburger Veggie Soup. Be sure when stocking the pantry to include basic dry food items that you can use in recipes later: flours, sugars, salt, fats, spices, alcohol, honey, rice, beans, pasta.... The list goes on. Can up some water for emergencies. Have a couple cases of bottled water. Don't forget to keep an extra bottle of shampoo and favorite dish soap on hand. Not only will this cut down on the amount of trips to the store; but also saves that fuel for something you actually want to do. (If there is anything I do not enjoy, it is grocery shopping.) Mom kept a stocked pantry. Growing up, there was always food in the freezer and dry goods on the shelves. It might have been slightly out of date and we had 12 bottles of ketchup, but there was always food. When I set up household at 17, I followed that lead and kept a pantry. I've been peanut butter and jelly or box macaroni and cheese poor before, but there was food. I experienced food insecurity for the first time a couple years ago. Thankfully it was only for a few months. This experience has doubled down my efforts. Handsome was also raised with a stocked pantry and understands what I'm trying to do. ** I'm an Amazon Associate. This means if you click on the link and possibly buy something linked on this website, I might get a little commission that helps support the cost of this blog.

Don't show it your fear! It can sense it! I'm just kidding! There's alot of fear mongering, let's dispel it. I was scared the first time using the pressure canner and even a few times after that. I'm comfortable with them now and know what to watch for and what it's supposed to sound like. If things are acting just a little bit off, I won't walk away from them, even to pee. Even though I'm comfortable with the canners and process, I still operate a One Butt Kitchen. Not even a doggie is allowed in the kitchen while I'm pressure canning. I'm specifically going to refer to the Presto 16 Quart Pressure Canner in this article as that is what I'm familiar with. I run 2 Presto 16 Quart** canners at the same time on my glass top electric stove. Many folks are afraid to can on a glass top stove. The main things to remember are never to drag anything across the top, don't cut on the glass, and don't drop anything onto the glass. And... many times the glass is replaceable if shit happens. I also HIGHLY recommend purchasing the 3 piece rocker weight** if you're at an elevation below 1000 feet. The canners arrive with a 15 pound weight that won't rock and you have to rely solely on the gauge to keep pressure. This makes fiddling with the heat on the burners necessary. The 3 piece weight will eliminate that fiddling. Here we go: Add 3 quarts of water to the canner and a splash of vinegar. Prepare your jars and desired product according to the recipe, place on the lids. Place jars into the canner and match up the arrows on the canner and lid and set the lid down onto the tabs. Twist the lid until the the handles line up on the canner. Turn the burner on medium heat. Let the canner heat up until you can't hold your hand against the canner anymore because it's too hot. Turn the burner up to medium high heat. (Turn to high if needed, I have found it isn't necessary.) Let the canner come up to full steam. Steam will start to roll out the vent pipe. (Sometimes you can't see the steam but can feel it with your hand.) Time this for 10 minutes. (The vent, aka nipple, might pop up during this time.) Add the weight onto the vent pipe. Watch the gauge come up to 10 pounds pressure. Turn down the heat to just above medium heat. Start your timer for the correct processing time for your product. Watch to make sure the pressure stays at 10/11 pounds and the 3 piece weight starts to rock. If the weight rocks alot, turn the heat down to medium low, you just need it to slow dance, not Macarena. Make sure the pressure is maintained and the weight slow dances. If you're comfortable enough, you can go pee now. When the processing time is up, turn off the heat and lift the canner onto a heavy towel or cold burner to cool. Allow the pressure to dissipate slowly. DO NOT touch the weight, nipple or turn the lid. Once the pressure gauge is down to zero and the nipple has fallen, you can remove the weight. Wait a minute and then twist open the lid. Keep your arms outstretched, lift the lid, far end up first and keep your flip flop feet out of the way of drips. Carefully remove the jars one at a time and place on heavy towels. You have successfully processed your canner load! Wait for the PING! If you have another batch to go in, you can pour out the hot water and start over fresh. OR if your next batch is hot product, it can go right into the steaming water (add more if needed) to start the process all over. After a few batches, you will get used to how everything sounds and behaves. You will find a sweet spot on the burners on your stove. And you can work on other things while the product is processing; ya know, like dishes, laundry, blogging..... When you learn to trust your food and get used to incorporating it into your everyday meals, it's a game changer and will streamline alot of your food prep and food storage automatically. HAPPY CANNING!! ** I'm an Amazon Associate. This means if you click on the link and possibly buy something linked on this website, I might get a little commission that helps support the cost of this blog.

Mirepoix - the trifecta of vegetables commonly used for base flavoring in recipes. Around here, that means celery, onion and carrots. Many many kinds of soups and stews, ham and beans, stuffing/dressing, and etc all start with this flavor base. I keep these 3 veggies on hand all the time. Garlic and parsley also get added to most everything I make. This goes back to the previous discussion about seasoning your food well. Vegetables add flavor just as much as herbs, spices, salt and sugar do. You're building a base of flavor that gets added to with each ingredient. Even with inflation the 3 core veggies of mirepoix have been affordable to cook with. Give this a try! Side note: One thing I struggled with when canning large batches, was getting a bunch of veggies cut up fast and ready to use. This food chopper** has changed that and I'm using it almost every day. My only complaint is the that the top grid that pushes the food through will pop out from time to time when chopping something firm, like carrots. It's easy to clean, I take all the pieces apart and run it through the dishwasher on the top rack. It wasn't outrageously priced and I would buy it again. ** I'm an Amazon Associate. This means if you click on the link and possibly buy something linked on this website, I might get a little commission that helps support the cost of this blog.

(Hopefully she won't be mad at me for the funny picture.) Bestie can make broth like nobody's business. She has the roaster set up and saves the bones from whatever she cooks and lets the veggies and bones simmer for a long time to make the most rich and flavorful broth. She can make broth out of anything. She even makes broth from veggie scraps. She has the patience to wait for the nicest product. The best batch I've had so far was onion broth. I used it on roast and it was fantastic! Below is a photo of the deliciousness she shared recently for the canning of the turkey: Bestie and I are not the same. I do not have patience. I want to get the product made and put into a jar and on the shelf. I'll admit it, I'm a cheater when it comes to this. I have such a tendency to try and do too much in the kitchen at once. That means that when I'm making broth, I'm using the Instant Pots** and getting as much yield in as little time as possible. The broth is nice, it isn't fantastic like Bestie's. Here's my own process: get some bones and some veggies. You can use a turkey or chicken carcass that you've deboned. You can use the soup bones from the locker. You can even use the bones from the pork chops you had for dinner. It's best to have an amount that will fill the Instant Pot about halfway. Add in vegetables; carrots, celery, onions, and garlic for sure. I also add some salt, pepper, and parsley. Add water up to the max fill line. This is the base recipe for whatever kind of broth you're gonna make. Set the Instant Pot for pressure cook for 1 hour, close the vent. Once the time is up, open the vent to depressurize. When the Instant Pot is able to be opened, there will be a nice broth along with some slightly tired vegetables and bones. PUT A BOWL UNDER THE COLANDER and strain the broth from the veggies and bones. Set the broth in the fridge to cool. Place the bones and veggies back in the Instant Pot. Add salt, pepper, and parsley in again. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for an hour, close the vent. When the time is up, open the vent to depressurize. Open the Instant Pot and PLACE A BOWL UNDER THE COLANDER. Strain the bones and veggies from the broth. Set the broth in the fridge to cool. If you feel that the ingredients still have some life left, you can repeat the process over and over until the broth doesn't have much color or flavor. This last go round, I ran the turkey bones through 6 times and added fresh vegetables at round 3. This gave me a total 5 gallons of broth. (I have an entire shelf of broth now.) The broth isn't at thin and pekid as commercial broth, but it isn't as rich and delicious as Bestie's slow-cooked version. Cool the broth in the fridge overnight. Spoon the fat off and save it. I have several gallon pitchers that I use to store the broth before canning. They make it so easy to pour the broth into the jars. Here's the BIG cheat: I add a couple tablespoons of powdered soup base** into each gallon of broth. Match the flavor of the soup base** to the broth you're making. There's salt and seasoning in the soup base that I haven't been able to replicate. I know that when I go to use this, it will be flavored correctly and ready to use for whatever kind of soup or gravy I need to make. Then pour the broth into the prepared jars, wipe rims, lid up and process for 25 min at 10 lbs of pressure. ** I'm an Amazon Associate. This means if you click on the link and possibly buy something linked on this website, I might get a little commission that helps support the cost of this blog.

Your source for a translation of my own ramblings (updated regularly): Squishy - silicon spatula used for scraping the last of the food from the bowl Flipperdicker - melamine spatula used for flipping eggs or burgers W.B. - water bath canner or canning P.C. - pressure canner or canning Handsome - boyfriend Bestie - closest friend Friendly - close friend Put Up - process, can, dehydrate, freeze or prepare for storage in some fashion 10lbs - this is the pressure setting needed for my elevation, above 1000 ft please use 15lbs Metric-shit-ton - alot Flunky - guy that has no direction and can't hold a job Nuke - to microwave something Margaret - a canning Karen

The above is Italian for "Hello Deer Meat".... (Thank you Google Translate.) I've been racking my brain for different ideas to flavor all this deer meat and have a variety of things to serve instead of just one type of venison dinner. Neither of us can handle alot of hot and spicy foods. It makes Handsome downright angry if he gets ahold of something spicy unexpectedly. As it turns out, the precooked beef strips I bought are just a little bit spicy. They are also very salty. I was planning to use those as the base flavoring in deer cubes but I need to mitigate that flavor a little bit. Insomnia to the rescue, Italian Beef and Mississippi Pot Roast came to mind. After going through several recipes online, thawing the meat, washing a bunch of jars, and running back to the grocery reseller for extra seasoning, I was ready to start canning today. I've written up recipe cards as I figured the regular amount of seasonings when the meat isn't already seasoned. I adjusted the seasoning to account for the precooked beef strips I'm using. Because I cannot create anything on a small scale and it was cheaper to buy the big jar, I now own 3/4 of a gallon of pepperoncini peppers.... (I see a re-canning session in my near future.) Next up: stew.

All over YouTube and bookface, you will find folks talking about, cussing at and arguing with other people over canning lids. It's a hot topic. Ball/Kerr/Golden Harvest have sold out and the manufacturing has taken a turn for the worse. There's a plethora of cheap China-made lids available and some are ok. The dollar stores carry some lids and there's the Country Whatever brand that I've been seeing in the local farm stores. Then there's the Superb lids and ForJars lids that have a better reputation at this point than most. You can get no-name lids at the Amish/Mennonite stores in sleeves of several dozen. Alot of folks, like me, are also reusing the "one-time use" flats even though it isn't "advised" by the manufacturers or the USDA rules. Reusable lids are becoming more popular, like Harvest Guard and Tattler. Then there's the Weck jars with their reusable glass lids. The old bail type glass lid Ball jars are coming back into use and I've even seen some folks going back to the galvanized screw on lids that seal on the shoulder of the jars. There's also the old Number 10 glass lids that take a deeper ring than the ones we use today. There's a learning curve to whatever type of jar closure you're using. Blaming the buckling or lack of sealing on cheap lids is a cop out. Lids are inanimate objects. If the manufacturing of the particular lid is not defective; i.e. dented, sealant ruined, creased, etc., then there's something else going wrong in the process. You are the user of that item, you are in control of how it is used. Stop and look at the entire process. Sometimes the tiniest change in technique can make all the difference. One thing I come across often is that I've missed a defect in the lip of the jar which creates a place for air to get back inside. New Flats: I have a favorite brand** that I've used several hundred of at this point and reused quite a few of them atleast a second time. The price point is good and they seal well and hold up to the abuse here. The learning curve was not difficult with these. The tension on the band cannot be as tight as what you would use for the Ball/Kerr/GH lids. Think a half turn less than you would normally use. I will use any brand of new lids that someone gives me or is selling for cheap cause they didn't like them. The ones I personally have had the most trouble with are the Mainstays from Wally that don't have the button in the middle. If I come across some new-old stock of Ball/Kerr/GH lids, I will always use those. (Unless they are the old Kerr with the gray sealant, that stuff turns gooey.) I feel like I have to crank down on the rings more with the old Ball lids than I do with the new lids I like. Reusing Flats: I keep a stack of used lids that need cleaned up next to the sink. While I'm washing them, I do a thorough check over for the slightest dent, rust, messed up sealant, etc. If there is any discoloration of the enamel on the underside of the lid, I also pitch those. After a thorough check and cleaning, I've been able to reuse about half to two thirds of the lids. I will reuse lids from other people and lids from jars I buy from thrift stores if the sealant is good and the lid doesn't smell bad. To remove a lid without damaging it, lay the blade of a butter knife flat across the top of the lid right along the edge. Take a church key and using the curved side, lift up from under the lid. Keep the pressure on the knife and not on the lid. This will keep from damaging the lid and you can use it again. Reusable Lids: This category can be an investment, especially if you're an avid canner. The Harvest Guard** and Tattler** lids use a rubber seal and the standard rings we are accustomed to. While I haven't gotten to play with any of these types of lids yet, it is my understanding that there is an extra turn to the lid and ring after processing which completes the seal. This is similar to the galvanized lids and Number 10 lids. With the old glass top and bail lids, you place the rubber seal** on, then the lid and put the bail over top but do not tighten it down. Once the jar comes out of the canner, you tighten the bail to complete the seal. I grew up canning in the glass top jars. The Weck jars** and lids are going to be fun to use. They use little metal clips to hold the lid and seal on during processing. I'm so afraid I will lose all the metal clips. Galvanized lids use a rubber seal with the split in the tab and the seal completes down on the shoulder of the jar. In this case the rim of the jar does not have to be nick free. I have many of the galvanized lids and quite a few older jars with nicked rims that I'm looking forward to experimenting with. There are 3 parts to the sealed top of a canning jar. The lid itself, the sealant or a rubber ring, and the method to hold the lid and seal onto the rim/shoulder of the jar. With flats, the lid has the seal already attached to it and you use the standard ring to hold it on. The ring is ONLY there to hold the lid on during processing. There has to be enough gap to let air out of the jar during processing to create the vacuum that holds the lid on. That is why ring tension is so tricky; especially with thinner lids nowadays. Reusable lids are the same except the rubber ring comes off of them and can be replaced after many uses. Bail type jars, Weck jars, and Number 10 lids all use a wire bail, metal clips or a deep ring to hold the lid and rubber seal in place. The galvanized lids are different in the aspect that the lid is sealing all the way down on the shoulder of the jar. The whole shebang is held in place with the galvanized lid itself. Once you get used to working with a particular type or brand of lid; the learning curve is finished. Have fun experimenting with other types of jar closures and brands of lids and reusable lids. You just might find something that works best for you or that saves money in the long run. ** I'm an Amazon Associate. This means if you click on the link and possibly buy something linked on this website, I might get a little commission that helps support the cost of this blog.

So many of my recipes make loads of food. Even the regular bread recipe makes two large loaves or 3 small ones. This is far more than Handsome and I can finish in a few days. I really don't enjoy bread that's been previously frozen. I went searching for a recipe that would be something different and found this one on allrecipes.com. Of course, I cannot leave well enough alone and had to tweak it. Thyme isn't something I use often; turns out we enjoy it! Rosemary can taste like a pine tree in excess. Too much parsley can taste like grass. I do use heaping measures of the herbs in this recipe. They are really tasty and well distributed throughout the dough. I keep bulk yeast on hand and use that instead of packaged yeast. (1 packet equals 2 1/4 teaspoons. I just use 2 heaping teaspoons.) This Herbed Batter Bread recipe was originally a no knead recipe; I enjoy kneading the dough. It's a single small loaf so there isn't much to it, nor is there much mess left on the counter from the kneading. My Aunt taught me how to make bread. When you have the time to devote to the rising of the dough, it's worth the effort to go ahead and make fresh bread. I use her method whenever I make any type of raised yeast dough: Start out with your baby-bottle warm liquid. Add in the yeast and the sugar. Stir together and set aside to let the yeast "bloom". It will make little clumps and rise to the top of the liquid. This not only ensures that your yeast is still active (alive), but also gets it started multiplying so the dough will rise faster. Yeast always need something sweet in the dough to grow on. Put your dry ingredients into the bowl. In this recipe, the herbs are considered a dry ingredient. Salt is always needed in a yeast bread recipe as it moderates the overgrowth of yeast and keeps you from having run away bubbles. Most recipes have a little bit of fat, this one uses butter, and that must be liquid to mix in. Add the fat to the mixing bowl. Add in your sponge and mix all together. Don't worry about getting everything totally homogenous. Some leftover flour is okay and will mix in while kneading. Lightly flour your clean countertop. Turn the mixture out onto the floured area. Turn the dough a quarter turn with your left hand at the same time you pull up the righthand corner with your right hand. (If you are left-handed, do this motion the opposite direction.) Keep up this same motion for several turns. Your dough will become very smooth and everything will have mixed in to where you don't see individual ingredients except the herbs. Grease the bowl, it doesn't need to be washed since you already mixed the dough in it, and place the dough into it. Make a mental note or take a pic of the dough in the bowl so you know what size it was when you started. Grease the top of the dough and place plastic wrap or a damp towel overtop of the bowl. (I use nonstick spray for the greasing. Use what you prefer.) Let rise in a warm spot until the dough is visibly doubled in size. (My house is cold, I turn the oven on warm, or bake something, and set the bowl right in front of the oven vent. And I forgot to take a picture of this.) Reach into the bowl and push down the dough, it will be very spongy and soft. Pick up the corner of the dough and fold it to the middle, then the next corner and then the next until the dough is back to a firm texture and all the edges are pulled into the center. Turn the dough over so the pretty side is up. Grease the pan you've chosen to bake the dough in. (I use a small casserole dish for this recipe.) Place the dough in the pan with the smooth side up. Grease the top of the dough again and tent the dish with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until almost doubled. In this case, it will be rounded nicely above the lip of the pan. Slash the top of the dough with a sharp knife or razor blade. This dough bakes at 375 degrees until the internal temperature is 190 degrees. I've never been good at the "sounding hollow" method of bread baking so I just use the thermometer. This recipe is great with soups and stews, anything Italian and makes fantastic morning toast! You could also make this recipe without the herbs or change up the herbs for different uses.

Yeast is a living single celled organism that burps carbon dioxide gas while it eats sugar. Humans have been utilizing the happy little critters to make their bread fluffy for a really long time; think thousands of years. When dehydrated and kept at the correct temperature, yeast becomes "suspended" and stays viable for long periods of time. When you're creating a dough you "wake up" the yeast and they go right to work eating and multiplying; which in turn rises the dough. Baking the dough kills the yeast after they have done their work. There are many types of yeast products; I'm specifically covering dry granulated yeast in this post. You can purchase dry yeast in packets, small jars, or bulk vacuum packages. Whatever size you purchase, keeping the yeast viable until you are going to use it is quite important. I buy larger packages and place the contents into half pint mason jars, add lids and rings and freeze. That way the current jar I'm using is the only one exposed to any warmer temperature (only for a minute at a time) and the remainder of the yeast stays frozen. This will allow it to stay useful for years. You can store a jar of yeast inside the cabinet in the kitchen but the warmer temps above freezing allow some of the yeast to die. Eventually, all the yeast die and when you go to make bread, it won't rise. Once you get into the habit of grabbing the jar out of the freezer, dipping out the amount of yeast you need and then putting the jar back immediately, it isn't a bother. Some recipes call for instant yeast or fast-rising yeast. This just means that it will make the dough rise faster. If all you have on hand is regular yeast, you can substitute it in the recipe. I usually add half to a full teaspoon extra of regular yeast to account for the "instant" action. There are yeast cakes and other types of yeast products available, some are even refrigerated. Sourdough has also increased in popularity. I'm not familiar with those yet and will let other experts educate about those items.

The Extraordinary Venison Profusion of 2022 continues.... On Sunday, the outfitter that rents the farm called and wanted me to have the deer he shot. He even took it to the processor and paid for it for me! Handsome took a call on Monday evening, one of the out of town hunters didn't want his deer and left it behind; off to the processor. That makes 7 deer for our freezers/jars and less than $1000 in processing fees. Each deer has dressed out with anywhere from 75 to 100 pounds of meat. There's also been some folks that send us with ground venison that they've been given. I've got to make some room in these freezers so I can take advantage of sales. When making and canning Cooked Meat Mix, I go half and half with ground beef and venison. When canning deer cubes, I fill a third of the jar with cut up beef roast and complete the rest of the jar with venison. The beef adds some fat and cuts the gamey flavor of the deer meat. I'm a bargain shopper and today I found a DEAL. While I was running errands, I stopped by the outlet store for our local grocery reseller. I had to control myself, there were some really good sales. I took advantage of one deal and if I can, I will go back and get more. I found 20 pound boxes of beef strips (precooked, think fajitas) for $20. There were six and I bought 2. Yes, there's some commercial additives in them along with the seasoning. For $1 a pound for the beef, and no more than I will use in each jar, I didn't think it was worth worrying about the amount preservatives in the beef strips. Both dishwashers are empty and ready to fill with jars in the morning!

Flunky is a local guy that always needs money. He will work for a few hours for a little bit of cash but he cannot hold down a job. I've had him come out and do some yard work before. He used to call when he needed money for smokes or rent. I hadn't heard from him for quite some time until Monday afternoon. He needed a ride the next morning for a job interview, 45 minutes away. He was told they would hire him on the spot. Well I had a bunch of errands planned for Tuesday morning so this was going to have to be an early morning drive. But I was happy to help, especially because the man needs a job. I was ready to spend 3 hours on the road (2 trips to and from) and the fuel to help the man get the job. I'm the girl that has $20 ready for the panhandlers at the stop light. I am always happy to help someone that genuinely needs it. This was for a good reason; I told myself. 4:15am I get my dragging ass up to do chores and get ready to go. We were supposed to meet at 6am. I'm ready to roll, truck is running and warm. I even had a $10 bill for him so he could grab a snack while he waited for me to get back to pick him up. Of course, 6:10am, no Flunky. I call him, and WAKE HIM UP. "I'm sick, I forgot to call you." Yeah... sick from that green smoke..... @#$% @%$# *&%$ @#$%!!!!!! Red steam was rolling from my ears; I'm sure of it. I did not call him back to give him a piece of my mind. I went back home and grabbed a nap. I got up later and went about the day. I was still so pissed! He doesn't have to worry about calling me for help again. I've always been a silver-lining, make-the-best-of-things, type person. It's been a hard decades-long lesson for me to make myself stop, take a look at how I feel and change direction for the day instead of powering through. I knew that my bad attitude didn't go away and it would complicate everything else if I tried to can (sometime we will go over superstitions in canning) or work on paperwork. I did chores and went to bed early. If your day is fouled up; stop and consider how that is going to affect anything else you have planned. It might just be best to call it quits ahead of time and try again the next day. No sense forgetting an important step, putting salt instead of sugar into the cookie dough, or typing 1000 instead of 10 into the expenses column.