DAMMIT! ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

 Or rather, another one gotten bitten.

There was a chicken kerfuffle this morning.  This is not odd.  They are chickens.  They kerfuffle every time one of them lays an egg.  And then there is the constant rooster rape.

I eventually looked outside and saw nothing.  So, went back to my breakfast.  I'd let the chickens out, fed them, the usual.  They are free range, not fenced.  

Then, as I went down the hill to the car I see a bunch of feathers!  Red ones.  FROM A GOOD LAYER!  Damn and blast.  I found the carcass.  dead, not gutted, ripped open or anything gross.  Neck snapped.  That is a canine type kill.   Either a neighbor dog or a wild canine.

So, time to fence the chickens in for at least a while I guess. And get a game cam so I know what I'm up against. 

If eggs weren't so expensive I wouldn't mind much losing a free chicken but the finance balance has changed now.

R.I.P. Prudence

 And another bites the dust...

Or rather something bit her dust.

My hen, Pru, Prudence, went missing this week.  She wasn't in the coop Friday night.  Also wasn't in her favorite sleep away spot (the old coop).  I couldn't find her.  Sometimes chickens sleep in trees.  Not often.  And not elderly hens who can't get on the lowest roost anymore and have quit laying.

Hope did not spring eternal.

 Saturday I found a SMALL cluster of black chicken feathers at the bottom of hill.  Later, walking around, more black chicken feathers and 1 blue egg (that was her color of egg...but hadn't got one in over a month) with a hole in it and no yolk/white left.  Interesting.   ALMOST NO blood.  One bit of bloody bone. Not enough feathers to account for an entire bird.  But clearly, she's gone.

She came a few years back with Porky and Pearl.  Only Porky remains...a giant barred rock who is still laying!  Though sometimes her eggs look like crepe-y old-lady-neck-skin.  Pretty gross and wrinkly.  But sometimes they look fine.  I'll have to look back to see what year they all got here.  They weren't chicks on arrival, but at least 1 year old, likely older.  

Anyway, farewell Pru and thank you for your service.

Selling Stuff and the Coolest Thrift Find of 2023!!

 There is a vintage store in a near by town.  Last time I was in UNIRONICALLY wearing torn up old Carhartt pants and a 25+ year old letterman's jacket, both of which I got at thrift stores years ago, I found the same items in WORSE SHAPE on the racks for sale for lots of money.

80$ish for the pants, 150-200$+ for letterman's jackets.

SO....last weekend I went in with some of my crap.  Some tatty Carhartts that I haven't worn in years because I lost weight.  A coffee pot I got a thrift about a year ago but it makes weak coffee.  It is like a moka pot from the 1980s.  Got 10$ each.  

No dice on the vintage Durango boots (that I got from thrift and they just hurt my feet) and a suede jacket I got for 25cents several years ago and never wear.  It's cute and fits, but I never wear it.  They didn't want it.

Oh well.

Earlier that day before the vintage shop opened up, I was doing a thrift store run with a friend (who also sold some vintage stuff to a different store) and spotted a super cool percolator for 6$ that looked damn old.   Also a columbia shirt in perfect shape also for 6$.  That's high for a shirt but my others are tatty and it's a new color, neon pink, that I can wear on job sites and skip the orange safety vest usually.  Those are handy.  It has zippy pockets too.  

The coffee percolator.  I thought 1930s but the base is skinny and odd so maybe older.....HOLY CRAP!!!

Last made in 1908:

That's it behind the tea cup (also thrifted a while back)

It is super cute.  I used the patent and maker info to google it and last made in 1908.  That skinny base is odd but it works.   

The coffee in that cup was nasty.  I hadn't cleaned out all the bits of antique coffee dregs apparently

Now I'm running plain water through it when the wood stove is in use anyway.  It is getting lighter and lighter.  I've used a few bamboo skewers to pick at the nooks and crannies that are full of coffee munge.  We'll get there.

The same pot in perfect shape is for sale on the ebay for 250$.  Ones in similar shape for much less than that but more than 6$.  Also, looks classy so I'm going to keep it and enjoy it.

ACTUAL Caveperson Food...Kind Of

 Remains of a cooked meal or two or actually several, has/have been found from neanderthal times. While neanderthals are not cavemen, or even cavepeople, still, you know what I mean.

I'm basing this off the report in the Guardian

Oldest cooked leftovers ever found suggest Neanderthals were foodies

 Cool.   They weren't "foodies."  It's more that western academics think everyone remotely different or from any time in the past is a stupid savage stuffing grass and bloody meat with skin and hair on it down their gullets.   

Turns out...DRUM ROLL...      WRONG!

 Anyway, the upshot is, these neanderthals from various eras and epochs were mixing and processing ingredients and cooking them before eating.   Not news to most of the planet but still, fun to hear about for me... a recovering academic.

The food find was a mix of pulses, mustard type seeds, a grass seed (read "grain"), and some nuts.  These were most likely mixed, soaked, then pounded or ground up a bit.   Then formed into a patty type shape and cooked on a hot rock.

I had lying around the wee shed, lentils (a pulse), mustard seeds (duh), cracked wheat (a grain) and some chopped walnuts.  So, I mixed equal parts lentils, wheat and nuts, and a bit of mustard seed and soaked it overnight. 

In the morning, I ground it up a little in my way to small for this job mortar and pestle, pattied it, and cooked it inside the wood stove on a preheated tiny cast iron skillet (got that at goodwill...probably part of some cookie kit nonsense).   

It was really good!  Tasted great.  The outside got a bit dry and crusty and did not stick to the pan even though I did not grease it (there was residual grease likely but not much as it didn't smoke or smell of burned grease).  I used green lentils with the skins on.   The pulses in the ancient food bits had the hulls on. I did drain off a little of the soak water but not enough to get rid of all tannins.

The toasty nutty spicy flavor and slightly crunchy outside with still soft inside was just really nice.  I'm going to make it again...and will make or get a bigger grinding stole.  It was a tad messy but I think I can get the hang of it with a couple of tries.

Not sure how long I cooked it.  I put it in and got on with my yoga and making coffee and things (by the way, it went well with strong coffee).  At least 15 minutes.  The inside of the wood stove was probably about 400F based on how long I cared to have my hand in there.

The walnuts were likely the least authentic item.  Almonds or pistachios would be more like nuts used in the samples found.  But, I wasn't going to drive to town for an almond or pistachio.  Used what I had...which was an authentic approach I believe.  

 

I didn't take pictures but next time...must do that.

 

Words on my S--- List

 Seriously people...stop over affixing your words!!!!

"Dangerousness"...formerly known as "DANGER"

"Resiliency" ...formerly known as "RESILIENCE"

These are the new "irregardless."  

Just stop with the extraneous affixes.

WOOT WOOT UNDIES!

 So, I have a reader (Hi Chris!!).

I mentioned that one of my fave gifts is nice undies.  And the aforementioned reader gave me fresh undies that fit and are "on brand" as the kids say.  SO nice to have some that fit and are not in tatters.  

My mood is much improved in general as I had been trying to use up my supply of off brand old tattered ill fitting undies.   

PANTS!!!

 I went through 2022 with zero clothing purchases.  Full disclosure:  I got 2 bras before the start of 2022 to make sure I could do this.  And 3 undies.  I broke out the 2nd fresh bra just a month or so ago.  The old bras are "bra shaped" but...man...not enough elasticity left to bother with most days.

So, there we go.

I have a conference coming up and while I have a pair of fishing pants with the zip off legs that are in great shape...they are also made of thin fabric that really shows when you sweat.  So if I got swamp arse or otherwise sweaty at the conference, it would look like I'd had an unfortunate accident.

And ALL my jeans, well, the ones that fit, are in rough shape and faded, ripped, about to fall apart.  No one sees them on zoom meetings but an inperson conference...no.   

I hit a couple of thrift stores yesterday after an out of town appointment and TA DA! nearly new black jeans.  "Idaho Business Casual".  7$ plus tax.  This is the last thrift store in the area that hasn't raised the price to 15$ for used pants.  Jeez.  I grabbed them.  Didn't even wait for the colored tag discount day because they were not going to stay on the rack.    I will wash them this weekend during the laundromat run because this store washes the clothes before putting them out.  They must use an entire box of cheap detergent on each small load because the clothes are crusty with it.  

These jeans have NO SPANDEX...I think we all know how I feel about stretchy pants.  Ugh!

https://simplicityandfrugality.blogspot.com/2010/10/dear-universe-get-your-spandex-out-of.html

It makes me have this disorder:

So hard cotton jeans with NO SPANDEX in good shape for 7$...SCOOOOOOORRRRE