Our guest writers are back...Backwood Diaries by Don & Lisa
National Chili Day
February 24, 2012
A few weeks ago we did our semi-weekly library trip. Living in northern Idaho at the end of the road on a snow packed, rained all night in a January/February thaw driveway, is a normal winter event in this northwest. A week of freezing nights and days made a ½ mile long solid ice-skating rink the width of the truck, with a steep hill at the gate. It is keeping even the bravest of neighbors home. Our homestead is about one hundred air miles south of the Canadian boarder with more freezing nights promised ahead I am sure.
Some years ago Lisa and I made a firm commitment to begin retirement with no mortgages or any other large debts, so by shear necessity that has made life simpler. You can pull the person out of the city but it takes an extra push to take the city out of the person. We are both country folk at heart and needed only a little shove to make the move to homesteading a reality. No public TV, no Internet, and what might scare some, no telephone service, makes our trip to the library a treat. We call family and friends while we are out and check our e-mail and favorite sites on line. We couldn't quite go off grid, yet, for that was too much for us all at once. We, hopefully, will proceed going off the grid gradually by converting to solar for our well this summer. Our friendly librarian had informed us that Saturday was the National Homemade Soup Day with the National Chili Day on February 24th.
As you may have read our soup day was a success. Now we are dreaming of a campfire, Grandpa Jakes and turkey chili. Dutch oven cornbread and root cellar cold slaw is at the top of my list. After cooking, maybe we'll stoke the fire and eat outside. "Maybe" it will be warmer then.... a little!
February 24, 2012
A few weeks ago we did our semi-weekly library trip. Living in northern Idaho at the end of the road on a snow packed, rained all night in a January/February thaw driveway, is a normal winter event in this northwest. A week of freezing nights and days made a ½ mile long solid ice-skating rink the width of the truck, with a steep hill at the gate. It is keeping even the bravest of neighbors home. Our homestead is about one hundred air miles south of the Canadian boarder with more freezing nights promised ahead I am sure.
Some years ago Lisa and I made a firm commitment to begin retirement with no mortgages or any other large debts, so by shear necessity that has made life simpler. You can pull the person out of the city but it takes an extra push to take the city out of the person. We are both country folk at heart and needed only a little shove to make the move to homesteading a reality. No public TV, no Internet, and what might scare some, no telephone service, makes our trip to the library a treat. We call family and friends while we are out and check our e-mail and favorite sites on line. We couldn't quite go off grid, yet, for that was too much for us all at once. We, hopefully, will proceed going off the grid gradually by converting to solar for our well this summer. Our friendly librarian had informed us that Saturday was the National Homemade Soup Day with the National Chili Day on February 24th.
As you may have read our soup day was a success. Now we are dreaming of a campfire, Grandpa Jakes and turkey chili. Dutch oven cornbread and root cellar cold slaw is at the top of my list. After cooking, maybe we'll stoke the fire and eat outside. "Maybe" it will be warmer then.... a little!
