Pickles

I am not really a big pickle fan. Their are really only 2 kinds that I like. Both of them are the ones that my Mom always made. Maybe it is nostalgia but I think it is just that Mom really knows how to make pickles.To keep from losing these wonderful recipes, I am passing it on to you. It is well worth the effort.

Start you own family tradition. I hope you all will try making a batch.

 It really gives me something to do with my extremely prolific cucumber plants.

• BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

1 gal. thinly sliced unpeeled cucumbers (the thinner the better)

8 medium onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup salt

Combine and cover with ice water and let set for 3 hours then drain.

Bring to boil;

4 cups apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

5 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or 1 teaspoon whole cloves

2 tablespoons mustard seeds

When sugar is dissolved add drained cucumbers and onions.

Bring to a rolling boil and can.

LIME PICKLES

7 lbs. cucumbers cut in 1/4 in. slices

MIX;

 2 cups pickling lime with 2 gal. cold water

Soak cucumbers in lime solution 24 hours

RINSE;

well with cold water then cover with cold water and soak 3 hours longer.

BRING TO BOIL;

2 quarts cider vinegar

4 1/2 lbs. white sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 teaspoon mixed pickling spices

DRAIN;

cucumbers and cover with vinegar solution. If needed weight down cucumbers to be sure they are covered. Soak over night. The next day bring everything to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes. Pack in jars and seal.

On my soapbox again

What a whiner! I read my last post and seen all the self-pity dripping disgustedly.

The things I have seen the last few weeks makes me ashamed of my petty complaints.

My knee is doing better.

I know a lady who will never be able to walk again and is very close to spending the rest of her life

in a place she doesn't want to go.

Losing her independence, and dignity, forever.

Being told what to do and when to do it.

Yes, sadly, she needs extra help that she can't provide for herself.

And yes, that will probably be her only option.

Her mind is clear. She is intelligent. A little demanding. A little stubborn.

Why is that a crime? Why is it a crime to be old or disabled?

Do you know that if you are a criminal and in prison you have more rights then if you are in a nursing home?

We don't even consider all of this when you are younger.

We make jokes. We think that is just what everyone should do.

I respect and admire those that try to take care of their parents, even if only for a little while.

I know of some people who want to put their father in a nursing home because they are worried that he

will fall (He has fallen several times and broke bones) and because he lives alone they fear for his life.

It makes him angry because he thinks they don't think he is capable of taking care of himself.

He was a marine. Very intelligent. Funny. Interesting.

Does anyone ever consider that for someone like that, they, would rather die earlier than to live longer in a

place that will never be home to them?

Why can't the nursing homes change to meet the needs of the residents instead meeting the needs of the

people who put them there.

It should be an enjoyable place for them. A home. A place that lets them come and go as they please.

I know that there are assisted living facilities. Not enough of them. Very expensive.

Or maybe families could get tax breaks for putting up daudy houses like the Amish have for their elderly.

that takes away their freedom and sense