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Within the confines of this blog, you will find bits and pieces of the life and times of myself, my family and friend dear and near., far and wide, few and far between. You will find bits and pieces of my world, tho small to some, but huge to me. You will find everything from 'soup to nuts',; recipes, hobbies,crafts, gardenings,loves of my life, GrandLoves-a-Plenty, and even my pets... Sooo, if you can handle family life, enjoy the tour of my 'Stuffings'.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Anticipation, Acclimation, Accomplishment

All day, at least several hours, anyway,
It took to boil off Pinto Beans for something good for the soul~~~
Bean Soup
Bean Soup with Pintos, Garbonzos, Tomatoes, Onions, Rich Tomato Broth, ~~~ mmmm,
So Good,
So worth the wait while the house smelled so healthy!
Another comfort food that is worth the wait is~
A simple grilled burger.
Do you buy in bulk? I do, when possible.
Tho, this time, my purchase was not budgeted in., but sometimes~
It's just too good to pass up.
With all of the wild game in the freezer, I seldom purchase good ol' ground beef, Angus yet!
Our son's order somehow was doubled, so rather than return it, he gave us and some friends a call and we all split up 160 lb's. of beautiful, fresh ground beef.
The best part was that it came in 5 lb. tubes that were partially frozen which made it so easy to cut down for packaging and~cut into burgers that fit my Burger Stackers just perfect.
Yes, we had burgers for supper with the Bean Soup.

I had also started another dehydrator full of apple slices but somehow, my picture got eaten. Blogger must like them too;) Oh, and a dozen hard boiled eggs for the boys for the fisheree this weekend.

End of Anticipation!!!

Have you ever had to Acclimate tropical fish and snails to an aquarium?
I got netted into this chore because I happened to be home when the package arrived. I did wonder just how they were going to ship fish in the dead of winter in WI. with all the snow and cold in the air.
They actually came in the warmest insulated foam container packed in packing peanuts and an insulated envelope that held a couple of heat pacs. It was toasty inside the box and the water the fish were in was as warm as the aquarium.

First and most important, was to close the blinds and turn off the aquarium light so as not to shock the little fresh water fish and crustaceans coming from the dark box they traveled in, into the big bright world they were about to embark.
To acclimate the Tetras, Snails and Shrimp, the bags they came in were first floated in the aquarium for 15 min., then opened, tops turned down to create an air pocket so they would continue to float. Precisely every 4 minutes, 1/2 cup of the aquarium water was poured into each bag, 5 times, discarding half the bagged water as it filled to the top. Finally they were netted out of their travel bags and into the aquarium that they now were acclimated to.

The light still had to remain off and the blinds closed for a total of 4 hours during this entire process. All I've got to say was, yeah, this is done with and what a ' welcome party ' these lil' creatures got.
Well, maybe except for 3 of the 6 shrimp who tried to end it all when they jumped from the net onto the floor instead of into the water.
They all survived, in spite of the tumble.

End of Acclimation!

Finally, but not the least of the day, I decided to take a quick picture for my inventory file of the a cute set I had finished.
The collar is knit in my favorite colors, Chocolate and Mint. ( had to get chocolate in this entry somewhere ).
The fingerless mitts are crocheted in matching colors. I tried them with my brown jacket~~~pretty cute. I wouldn't want to break my arm patting myself on my back for this set, but, by golly, I'm proud, especially of the knit collar. For any of you knit-wits out there, I take pride because my knitting experience never surpassed the stockinette stitch before. I know you understand my accomplishment.
And finally, this quick knit scarf, I whipped up one evening watching my favorite show, ~Chopped~( love Food Network )

This one is another keeper, as I've worn it all winter, however, I do plan on making a bunch more of these. I plan to share ~~~ here, there, everywhere.

This is the end of a day's Accomplishment!
Have a wonderful day.
I did.
BlessYourHeart

13 comments:

A Primitive Homestead said...

Your day was very full. Your mittens are pretty. I do not knit but love to see the beautiful stitches. You have nice fingernails. I am still trying to grow mine out. The beansoup looks so warm & yummy. Blessings!
Lara

Bonnie K said...

What fun. You had quite the diversity. I love the knitting. Can't wait to see the full view of tank and fish. Quite the projects.

jack69 said...

It would be impossible for a normal mortal to keep up with you. What a day. I ain't accimating nothing!!! hahahaha What a process. The knitting looks great. I know up there it all helps in the harsh winter.
Love you girl. I fixed BAsil Tomato soup Sherry fixed ham and cheese sandwiches.

Paula said...

You sure put me on a guilt trip. While you were doing all this John and I were riding around on country roads and eating a peanut parfait at a Dairy Queen in my old home town. Oh well we're old and simi- retired.

quiltmom anna said...

The soup looks delicious Dar- I can almost taste it from here. Pretty knitting projects and as for the fish- you have such a great cross section of interest- Life is never boring in your neck of the woods.
Have a great weekend,
Regards,
Anna

jack69 said...

That car, the turquoise one, is a 1955 Chevrolet, V8, the fist V8 Chevy ever made. also the most beautiful car because it is in that car(borrowed) that I drove to Sherry;s house and asked her for the first date, and she said, YES! (The car done it!)

Love to Bill & all!!!

Love you girl.

Shug said...

First things first....cooking beans can take a long time, but so worth the wait...These look delicious. Then, to your talents...you are so talented! that would have taken me weeks...no kidding.
What a process you have to go through for these little creatures to survive. I love your patience!
This was interesting to learn about. Have a wonderful Friday!!
Shug

Leigh said...

Hi Dar, I wanted to return the blog visit and thank you for the comment and pickle juice suggestion on mine. I answered your green tomato question there, but wanted to say that to can them, I just sliced and added boiling water and salt to taste. Since I processed in a boiling water bath, I did add a bit of citric acid to each jar. Leave 1/2 inch headroom and process 7 minutes for quarts.

I never knew one could mail order tropical fish! I kept them for years and loved it.

I have to say too, that your beans look yummy and your mitts and scarf look cozy. :)

Muffy's Marks said...

You have managed to fill up your winter days, with a lot of activities. Have a wonderful weekend.

Lucy said...

I do not know how to do any of those things except the soup. I made a big container the other day. Hamburger looks good. Love your knit gloves and collar. The colors are fantastic.

Anonymous said...

I'm exhausted reading about your day's work.
5 lb. packages? Dang. That's HUGE. I guess if you're feeding a crowd, though.
Kind of cool that fish can get shipped. I never knew that.

imac said...

Lots to see + Beans Means Heinz - lol

Fred Alton said...

Nothing better than Pintos on a cold winter day! And looks like you really had to stay attentive to detail to acclimate the fish and shrimp for the transfer to their new home. I'm sure the ones who hit the floor were jumping with delight toward the smell of pinto beans? ☺ The knitting work looks truly warm and cozy. You are so creative and skilled at whatever you do.