Being frugal isn't about how little you spend. Its about how much you save.

"A strong man has no need of power, and a weak man is destroyed by it."
Tsar Nicholas in the movie Nicholas and Alexandra.
Both the book (Robert k. Massie) and the movie are breathtaking.

neutrogena fragrance free hand cream for really dry hands. the best!

cleaning crock pots: crock pots are great, but can be a bugger to get stains out of, especially after cooking beans, I have found. I refuse to buy those disposable bags that fit inside the crock pot to make cleaning easier. I am stubborn.
Solution: a product called "the works" which comes in a spray bottle. First I wash as usual, then I spray it on the inside of the pot, let sit a few minutes, scrub with a plastic "scrubbie", rinse, and then wash again with hot soapy water. (to make sure none of "the works" is left.
Clean Crock Pot!

A small tree defies the drought in Deaf Smith County.

'nuff said

I miss wing windows! What ever happened to wing windows? Sometimes my A/C works, sometimes it dosn't. It would sure be nice to have wing windows when it dosn't.

iced coffee....
an addiction is born...
thanks, Pioneer Woman!

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AMAZING Amazing grace. and when you realize where they were, and what happened in that location... you just have to watch.

this is a must see. about an hour long, grab a coke and some nice homemade popcorn.

moving the 1057 farm (link)

True or false? When packing to move the farm, it is a good idea to be reading Thoreau's WALDEN.

How on earth do we accumulate so much stuff? Could it be because of shopping? Could that be why? From going to stores and shops without a need in mind, but just to aimlessly browse? I admit that's where a lot of the stuff I am currently putting into boxes came from.

Second hand stores are great. Saving money by buying clothes and things you need there is great. Key word being need. But how much stuff does one really need?

Less. I need less. I have enough. I have enough stuff. Actually too much stuff and its time to do some serious weeding.

When life gives you stale bread.... make bread pudding!

Who wants some meatloaf?

Kitchen items I won't replace:
popcorn popper... a quality 8 qt stainless steel pot does popcorn and countless more things
ice tea maker..... boil water in a sauce pan, pour over tea bags in a gallon jar... viola, iced tea!
rice cooker.... 1/2 cup water in the bottom of a pressure cooker. 1 cup rice to 1 1/2 cups water (or stock) in a stainless steel bowl inside the cooker... 4 minutes at 15 pounds... rice!

Who needs more clutter?

less goats, more goats...
sadly, one of the triplets died.
but 2 more moma's have had babies.
we have 6 baby goats running around now.
pictures will follow

New goat babies down on the 1057 farm!

World Collapse Explained in 3 Minutes

this is a great video. global financial picture in a nutshell.

learn how to sharpen a knife
A steel is not for sharpening, its for touching up a blade.
A whetstone is for sharpening. Diamond laden stones and steels are good.
17 * angle for kitchen knives
20* angle pocket/utility knives
30* combat knives
a strop (not strap) is used for finishing the blade. it takes the microscopic "teeth" out of the blade, smoothes it out. A leather belt will work too. Always pull away from the edge with the strop, unlike on the stone.

indespensible if learning
501 verbs, conjugated.

make your own chicken and beef stock. you won't be sorry.

Great Book:
We Took to the Woods
Louise Dickinson Rich
Her and her husband live in 1940's rural Maine. Very Rural. Stories of what its like to live a secluded life.

"You look like you just got out of a fight where everybody had a stick but you."
Max in Flywheel,
an EXCELLENT movie

an empty stock tank makes an amazing frisbie in 70 mph wind.

Paul Washer sermon jam 1

Never use money to measure wealth.
Robert DuVall in Broken Trail

silver

$4 gas
A bad moon rising

EXCELLENT BOOK:
Donbas
by Jaques Sandulescu
True story of a Romanian man whom at 15 was taken prisoner by the Soviets and taken to a forced labor (coal mine) camp.
It tells of his life there in the camps and how he survived, then tells how he eventually escaped. Amazing story!

Great Movie:
Open Range
Robert DuVall and Kevin Costner

GREAT MOVIE:
Broken Trail
with Robert DuVall and Thomas Hayden Church

Books I have read recently:
The Sun Kings
EXCELLENT book about Astronomer Richard Carrington and how he spotted solar flare which preceeded earths "Carrigton Event" of 1859 which knocked out telegraph service and caused auroras to be seen as far south as the equator.
What if it happened again today?

Gossip is the devils radio.
(a quote from the movie "Get Low"