Okra Fix'ns

    Went to town the other day and stopped by one of the places where local farmers show off and sell their produce. This person has been there for absolute years. His daddy started it and you could always count on getting good homegrown watermelons there. He also usually had some cantaloupes, tomatoes, and on this day okra. His daddy died a year or 2 ago of cancer and it looks strange not seeing him there.

   It's really cool. In front of his sisters beauty shop you drive by and you can see their truck backed up to the curb to entice you as you drive down the road. If they have extra goodies they have a table to the side of the truck loaded down with whatever else has been grown and not bought out yet.
   The cool part is WAYYyyyy before this virus thing you could always drive up tell them what you wanted (if you didn't want to get out and pick the best ones) and he would load it up and you fork over the loot and your on your way.
    I didn't have room for watermelon in the fridge. I drove up and asked if he had any okra. He said he did and I asked him how much do you have? He went into the beauty shop a minute, came back out and did more counting and he came back to tell me he had 7 heaped up green box pints. I asked how much for all? He said $3 a box so $21.00. I told him I would take it ! He went back and loaded up a walmart plastic sack with all the okra they had. It filled the bag up over 1/2 way.  He brought it over to the truck opened the door and set it inside for me. I handed over the money and asked him if I could talk them out of a cutting on a big tall succulent pencil stick looking cactus. Went back and cut me off a hunk , mama wrapped it in a wet paper towel and brought it too me.
    I had to tell her my good news about the all clear at the cancer doctor and I didn't have to come back for a year. Once you have lost someone to cancer like they did it's a good thing to hear good news. I told her God is taking care of me real good.
     So here it is 8 1/2 pounds of Okra. 8 eggs, a load of cornmeal and a whole jar of corn starch later. I usually put the cornmeal on first then anything else that has a sticky spot get the cornstarch. The cornstarch adds to the crunch for us.
   All this will go in the freezer except what we are going to eat the next meal or two. Each quart bag should get us about 2 meals. When you freeze okra then thaw out sometimes you cook it and it isn't as crunchy as we like so when it is thawed all the way I toss it all again with a bunch of cornmeal before frying up.
    So tonight looks like we are having fried Okra, Hubby gets pork chops, I get some kind of chicken tenders since I can't do pork, some good bread and butter. He gets tea and I get water. I don't really have any dessert going right now. I messed up my right arm so I am lucky to do anything at all until it decides not to be mad at me in a few days. LOL

Love
Ranchmama

     

Purpose

                                     

  Sometimes my mind just keeps going. I am sure there are other people with the same problem. It may be going about what you need to do the next day or week at home or work. Maybe you have been listening to the news and can't get all the what if's and possibilities to quit running through the brain. The kids and their needs and wants or maybe you just want to have pleasant thoughts about your dream vacation.
    For me it is always going. Normal like everyone else with maybe a few quirks and tweets from the other side of our known consciousness. Now believe me it gets interesting. LOL
   Something came rattling through my head the other day when I was reading what a Aunt sent me from a religious speaker named David Jeremiah. It was one of those moments when you get that Aha ! Really! Oh So That's the way it is moments. NOW I UNDERSTAND!
This is the part that I read that gave me that moment.

Things Will Get Better
 For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. Isaiah 11:9
Our planet is wrought with fears of pandemics, wars, earthquakes, and global economic meltdowns. The worst is yet to come for planet earth, for there is a future seven-year period known as the Tribulation. But wait! At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will descend from heaven, deal with evil, and establish a thousand-year kingdom, which we call the Millennium.

    Not everyone would have the same reaction or answers when reading this that I did. They may not even be of the same faith as that man. We may have that triggered time in our lives from something totally different. It may be something you read, something someone said, a time when your small child does something or a quiet moment in nature that for just that one moment you can see and understand what you yourself is all about.
   What is your purpose ?
   Why were you put here on this earth?
   I am not talking about the labels we have on us as Mother, Father, daughter, son, teacher, lawyer, sister, brother, fireman or police officer etc. Many things we just fall into in life. Some we actually strive for like going to school to learn how to be a doctor for instance. A lot of times we chose what we do or what we feel like we are going to do because it makes good money and should lead to a comfortable life.
   Many times people go in one direction and change their minds or life leads them in another way totally from what they thought they had planned for.
    Maybe your Aha! Moment happens when you are young. Maybe it isn't something that is your purpose for your whole life even. Maybe your moment has been happening all along and it changes as the world needs you to change.
   I read that little passage from that speaker and I could see that my life I think has been preparing me for what appears to be next. Where all the little things and interests and maybe habits I have will be what makes that Aha Moment complete. The ability to do my main purpose. I won't say what I think that is. It's pretty out there for some people.
Now that I have your brain primed lets see what happens when this starts running around in your head. LOL
    So what is your purpose for taking up space on our great earth?
    Have you found your purpose yet?
    Has your purpose found you maybe?
    Are you living a small part of your purpose leading up to the bigger whole purpose?

Love
Ranchmama
(Who's purpose is revealed but may be shown to all some day)

Hurricanes & Pandemics ??!!

      

    Talk about your perfect storm ! How the L are you supposed to do that?! I mean I know folks that are used to dealing with hurricanes have probably got it down pat. You know if you can stay or if you need to evacuate. You know where and when to go. You know what you need to pack and how your going to get there.

    Okies got it down too. We don't usually get a weeks notice of a tornado rolling up on us. Sure they may say possible bad weather but not like you hurricane people get. You know for sure it is coming your way days before it gets there. We get a maybe some sever thunder storms next week. Then in the middle of the night your weather alert goes off and you grab your go bag and run like the devil to the rabbit hole at a moments notice!

    BUT HOW DO YOU DO THAT WITH A VIRUS PANDEMIC !!! Really !

You have different kinds of folks out there dealing with this virus enemy.
You have the awww so what folks, no big deal.
The well I just better be careful just in case.
The ultimate worrier that is scared to death on a normal day.
    The first set of people it's all no sweat do like we always do.
    The last two sets of folks, man that !!@#$ virus changes everything!
If you have any concerns at all you just can't do like you have always done if leaving the area.
How do you do it safely?
Public Shelters --Those things can be scary on a normal season with no cooties floating around! With the bad morals of a lot of folks now days, the political attitudes going on and just super stress in general shelters are a atomic bomb waiting to go off!  Still if you have to do it you have to do it. Just like leaving town take anything that you need to stay comfortable. Bedding supplies, pillows, food at least. Don't count on the shelter they run out of stuff. Besides that everyone wants their favorite pillow or blankie.

Pets -- Be sure to have some ID on your pets so they can find you if needed. Check the shelters, motels or friends that will except you pets. Naturally bring everything they need just like people. Food, pillows, leashes, blankies, etc.

Sleeping Quarters -- Hotels, Motels, they say are sanitized. Still you never know, but if you happen to trust them ok. You can take your own cleaning supplies and go over everything you can think of with some kind of wipe or spray if you bring it with you from your stash.

Friends and Relatives - If you normally stay with friends and relatives when you leave.... That doesn't really work this time around. Who wants to take the chance of catching their cooties or spreading your cooties to them ?? Unless the house, garage or back yard is big enough to kind of doing some kind of quarantine that may work out.

Camping --- For those folks that have camped out or like to you should be in pretty good shape. You have most of what you need to be comfortable enough for a short time. For those that don't have everything you need you can actually make do pretty good with your auto and some good tarps and rope to tie them to the auto and some trees or poles. Not great against all the rain elements that is inland but if your scared to death of the virus you have to figure out something even to make do. A few changes of clothing, meds, important papers don't take much room. All that food for a couple of weeks will and a way to fix it with a grill or camp fire to keep going is a challenge. Lots of plastic tarps, trash bags, umbrellas 

Food -- Where is all that Emergency Long Term Food Supply you have been wanting to get for years now that you need it??!! Take your own food to fix in the room or to the relatives or friends. You can't comfortably go out to eat inside if there is anything still like that open anywhere. You go to the stores you can be careful but I just about bet they are picked clean no matter how far inland you go away from the storm. So you pack up all the food you will need in the next 2 weeks or more. Maybe a electric griddle or some cast iron. Sure ! You pack that up in your little bitty economical gas sipper! You going to strap the family down on the hood, and roof like a deer in hunting season?

I just about bet you folks with little city cars would love to have a huge monster bad *ss truck right now to pack up and leave town with LOL . Might be good for rolling over the medians or stalled out cars to get where your going !

   I am not a camper but to me the campers look like they have it pretty good in this perfect storm.

Love
Ranchmama