On Our Way to Whitney Point NY

July 11, 2016
We were finally released from Seffner FL on Monday and decided to make our way up to Whitney Point NY.

We all know this place, yeah.

OMG hills!

We boondocked along the way and made it to Chenango Valley State Park on Friday.We stayed for a week, but we spent most of our time going to doctor appointments and the warehouse.  We took back bedding that came with the coach, and took out things we wished we had brought.  Most of the time, we just did errands since we don't expect to be back in the area anytime soon. 

We went past the house, but drove quickly... 

Do I miss it?  

No...

Storing up for winter

In between filling orders, I've been busy getting ready for the long winter months ahead.  I've been visiting my local farmer's market, and finally vended there this past week.  It's a great way to buy local produce and meet some really nice folks.

Two weeks ago, I bought some nice looking cabbage and started my sauerkraut. It's really easy! Just shred the cabbage, put it in the crock and sprinkle a couple tablespoons of salt on it, stir it up, and keep adding layers of cabbage and salt.   Cover it up and tuck in a clean breathable cloth and weight it down with a plate with something heavy on top.  Wash the cloth every day with hot scalding water and in about 5-6 weeks, you have sauerkraut ready to can. 

We found a wonderful farmer nearby and bought 130 ears of corn, fresh picked that day.  We blanched and froze some of it the other day, and today we canned 36 pint jars of cut corn.  You need a pressure canner for low-acid foods like vegetables, but it's very easy.  We cut the corn off the cobs...

Then raw-packed the jars, not too tight, added a half teaspoon of salt to each pint jar, then poured boiling water to 1/2" from the top.  Raw pack means you don't cook the contents first.  Hot packing means you add the hot cooked food to the jar.  You can do either with corn.  Once the jars are filled, you place the sterilized lid with tongs (put them in a pan with simmering water on the stove), then screw on the ring finger tight.  Then they go into the canner and processed at 10 lbs pressure for 55 minutes.   

Tomorrow I will probably make cole slaw and corn relish which can be processed in a simple hot water bath.  Since they are acidic and made with vinegar, they don't have to be pressure-canned.  It's a little less intense and can be done in a large pot only, without a pressure canner, which is an investment.  I'd love to find some inexpensive PA peaches, because they are sooo sweet and yummy around the holidays.  Nothing at all like canned peaches you find in the store.   And maybe I'll find some time to make spiced apple rings and harvest the my herb garden and dry my herbs for the cold months ahead. 

It's getting pretty chilly way up here in the north, and I have to order wood soon.  I'm really behind on that and should have had it so the girls could stack it for me when they were here last week.  Busy busy busy!

Settling In

Well, I think I am finally starting to settle in for the long cold winter.  It has been snowing for the past few days, and it's here to stay.  It's only 10 right now and not going above freezing anytime soon, probably not until spring.  The wood stove is working 24/7 keeping us cozy.  In the evenings we go down and haul up wood every hour so we have enough to last through the night and next morning.  We just made our last trip and it was bitter outside even though the woodpile is right outside the downstairs door under the deck.  Tonight I saw fairly big  footprints in the snow (not big enough for a bear, thank goodness).  I'm going to do some research to find out what animal they are.  We've seen deer, turkeys, foxes, rabbits, the usual.  Nothing exotic.  Neighbors tell us there are a few bear around.

Yesterday and today I spent organizing and filing mountains of paper in my office.  It's a New Year's Day tradition.  If I'm slightly hungover, it's something quiet I can do to keep busy and start the New Year off organized.  I'm always so proud when I'm finished.  Soon I will get down to the onerous task of working on my business spreadsheets.  Every year I swear I'm going to keep up with it on a weekly basis, but I never do.  Maybe this year will be different.  Maybe someone will do it for me. 

Luckily, we don't need to go anywhere until grocery shopping next week

Some catching up to do!

I finally downloaded some of my moving pictures. The crew who moved us were terrific. The loaded the truck on Monday July 13 and delivered the goods on Tuesday. It took a lot less time on Tuesday, that's for sure.

First they moved everything out into the hallway before loading the elevator. Unfortunately there is only 1 elevator in the building and since it's small, they had to carry down the sofa and futon 7 flights of stairs..

The next day was perfect for moving - sunny, not too hot. The guys arrived around 9:30 am ready to work. They were in great spirits! The work was done in about 4 hours and they worked so hard! They carried every box and piece of furniture up the stairs - no elevator here folks!

Well, all I can say is, they did a great job and I'm grateful for all their hard work. It's been 1 week now and we're still unpacking. It's going to be awhile. We have more stuff in storage in PA that we're arranging to have shipped up here within the next week, so the whole process starts over again.

ps - my knees don't hurt as much.