Wednesday, January 29, 2025

January 29 - The Campfire Trail - Grid Fragility

January 29, 2025

Day 1,216 of the Adventure


This is something I've been quietly studying for the past couple of years. We've experienced our share of temporary outages. Everything from 1-2 hour loss of power up to a 5-day period due to an ice storm a few years ago. The weather and accident-related grid-down situations are common enough and most of us, hopefully, have positioned themselves to deal with it. Something we have not seen to any large extent is a regional loss of grid energy. 

Anymore, the weather seems to be the least of the concerns. Some of it is a result of our own making. Some of it from the threats of our many adversaries looking to do large scale harm to the country. As small individuals with virtually no influence over the larger scale decision-making needed to harden this resource, our options are very limited. Most of those options have to do with simply making plans to do without in a grid-down situation. When I say "Do Without" I am referring to doing without the nationwide grid service. I am not suggesting we simply do without power. Unless, of course, that is our preferred plan. I'd prefer to maintain an adequate amount of privately produced energy, even if it's a scaled back version of what we are currently accustomed to. There was a time when I believed the idea of wind energy could be a good solution. Mostly that was when we lived in a windier region and also before solar became a more practical source of energy like it is now. Small scale solar plants have become easy to access, fairly easy to understand and install and very common as a source of reliable electricity. 

As much as I hate sounding like a doomsday prophet, I don't mind being positioned for low-cost do-it-yourself energy. Knowing that a worse-case scenario of grid down will not likely be much more than a "blip on the radar" of my personal life experience. Going big can be complicated and expensive. Going small and simple won't cover all your bases, but can certainly give you light, battery charging capability, keep communications up and running, and give you at least an element of self-control in a potential environment of electrical grid chaos. 

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “there's no harm in hoping for the best as long as you're prepared for the worst.” ― Stephen King

Resources

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YouTube Channel: The Campfire Trail
YouTube Channel: Life of Treasures

Our Books
Treasures of Life - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Treasures of Life 2 - Daily Devotional by Shelley
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Tuesday, January 28, 2025

January 28 - The Campfire Trail - The Backwoods Diner's Club

January 28, 2025

Day 1,215 of the Adventure



Pic Taken  Jan. 28 - 7:45am
Since January has arrived and pickins' for the local deer tribe have been thin, we've begun our backwoods equivalent of a "Soup Kitchen" for them. Yes, I know they really don't need it. They've been surviving for eons without the bits of feed Shelley insists on feeding them. She can't help herself when it comes to birds, or deer, or........ Well, that's about it. She's declared war on the squirrels, racoons, possums, armadillos and other nuisance critters. She chases them away as if they're nothing but marauders looking for free hand-outs. It probably wouldn't be that bad if they would just refrain from chewing on the cabin and digging around the foundation of it. But that's another story. Since cold weather of real winter has set in, the deer have become pretty much an everyday thing around the cabin. We see them out the back windows in the mornings and evenings. They unknowingly pose for us in front of a security camera we have out back. Gentle and friendly reminders of the percs of backwoods living.

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.” ― William Shakespeare

Resources

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YouTube Channel: The Campfire Trail
YouTube Channel: Life of Treasures

Our Books
Treasures of Life - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Treasures of Life 2 - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Back to the Land - Planning your Back to the Land Roadmap by Martin
Wealth Creation - Principles of Wealth Creation by Martin

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January 27 - The Campfire Trail - Leaving the Backwoods

January 27, 2025

Day 1,214 of the Adventure


It's inevitable and I'm not sure that I'm getting any better at it. In fact, I think I'm getting worse. Or at least more irritable. I'm just getting over the trauma of it enough to write about it. which is why this posting of the 27th of January was actually written today on the 28th. What? You may ask, is the reason for my rant? ........... I had to go to town yesterday, ...... or today......... On Monday the 27th. It wasn't even a big town. Doesn't matter! It was a town, and I had to drive through several other towns to get there! Shelly had an appointment at a dentist office an hour away, I had to drop off the orange Jeep to a mechanic. Had I been able to get the Jeep fixed myself, Shelley could have just driven to her appointment herself and left me out of it altogether.  Oh well. I tried my best to not complain, at least until now. I guess the longer I'm in the woods, the less inclined I am to want to leave. As a mind and body gets used to the daily peace and quiet of the backwoods, being subjected to the rat race of civilization becomes less and less appealing. It's why we moved here and why I increasingly just want to stay here.

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “Quiet is peace. Tranquility. Quiet is turning down the volume knob on life. Silence is pushing the off button. Shutting it down. All of it. ” ― Khaled Hosseini

Resources

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YouTube Channel: The Campfire Trail
YouTube Channel: Life of Treasures

Our Books
Treasures of Life - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Treasures of Life 2 - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Back to the Land - Planning your Back to the Land Roadmap by Martin
Wealth Creation - Principles of Wealth Creation by Martin

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Sunday, January 26, 2025

January 24 - The Campfire Trail - A Red-Gold Tail...... Or Maybe "Tale"

January 24, 2025

Day 1,211 of the Adventure


A while back I did a posting on a flock of Bluebirds that found their way to our back deck. They added a splash of color to our dreary winter day. This morning, Shelley captured some red and gold. The "Gold" in the Goldfinch has been replaced by the dull grayish brown of their winter plumage. Still, the sight of them all gathering alongside the brightly colored Cardinal was a pleasant scene. Of course, they are lured in by the seed scattered around the deck, but we don't hold that against them. Later this spring and summer, they will once again display their neon bright yellow coats. Shelley informed me that some of them were in fact, Purple Finches. Couldn't tell by me. They're mostly just birds of a feather. You know how I know that?.......... Because they "Flock Together"!

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “The moment a little boy is concerned with which is a jay and which is a sparrow, he can no longer see the birds or hear them sing.”― Eric Berne
 
Resources

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YouTube Channel: The Campfire Trail
YouTube Channel: Life of Treasures

Our Books
Treasures of Life - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Treasures of Life 2 - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Back to the Land - Planning your Back to the Land Roadmap by Martin
Wealth Creation - Principles of Wealth Creation by Martin

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Saturday, January 25, 2025

January 26 - The Campfire Trail - Conquering Costs

January 26, 2025

Day 1,213 of the Adventure


So much of our journey has its roots in self-sufficiency, and that in itself is generally a cost savings lifestyle. The act of becoming more self-sufficient is good too, I might add. The biggest problem I see with it is that developing a life of self-sufficiency is usually a methodical process. One that takes time, commitment, changes in habits and routines and even some planning. In the economies we are currently dealing with, an extended "ramp up" curve is not very helpful in dealing with the immediate crisis of high costs. Those costs related to fuel, housing, groceries, insurance and nearly every other aspect of life are crushing right now. So much of it is unavoidable. You cannot simply, not buy food, for example. We shop sparingly for groceries throughout the month and usually save a big grocery shopping run for about once per month. That last grocery spree tallied up to over $750 dollars. Talk about a shock. It was only about one and a half grocery cart's worth of food. To add to that, we are now in the middle of winter and the garden is resting in preparation for the upcoming planting season. Our preservation efforts have our shelves full of canned and freeze-dried goods. All of that represents the "first year" garden efforts which is strong on a few things and light on many other things. We have pickles in abundant flavors and varieties to last for several years. Salsa is the same way. Most everything else represents a few months-worth of use until it's depleted. So as of yet, our garden is not completely the answer. I suppose one way to deal with it is to simply shift our diets to one of beans, rice and Ramen noodles. 

There has to be a better answer to this. Unfortunately, any solution that has long lasting effects is going to be a process to achieve. One that will require a commitment to planning, investment and discipline. It's also a process that is not for the person who is only mildly devoted to solving this as a long-term solution. Between housing costs, utilities costs, fuel costs, insurance costs and food costs, there is almost no good place to start. They all require our attention every single month. Then the next month, it all starts over. Many of the increased costs we face have to do with things that are beyond our control. We can't very well change the cost of an insurance premium that has gone up by 30% other than just shopping for something somewhere else. Same is mostly true for fuel, other utilities, housing and so on. The one area where I believe it is possible to begin making an impact is with food costs.  Obviously, if we choose to not change our buying habits, then that too, will be out of our control. Food is an area where we do have some influence on what the costs are. We can't really change the prices at the stores, but we can modify our spending habits and start trimming the costs that way.

Shifting to bulk buying, perhaps even co-op buying with others can take advantage of bulk prices. Growing more food ourselves reduces prices drastically. Preserving and storing bulk and home-grown produce allows us to push our personal stores of food out into the future. However, it's not a solution that automatically happens just because we get upset about high prices at the grocery store check-out. The check-out counter may initiate the change, but it certainly requires a willingness and a resolve to implement the change.  Over the next month or so, we will be focusing our written and video efforts on steps you can implement in your life to begin dragging those high costs back into alignment with a reasonable budget. Make sure to get subscribed to the channel and watch for upcoming videos related to Conquering Your Costs. All it takes is a commitment to change!

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” ― Albert Einstein

Resources

Make sure to visit our website regularly to see new products and resources.

YouTube Channel: The Campfire Trail
YouTube Channel: Life of Treasures

Our Books
Treasures of Life - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Treasures of Life 2 - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Back to the Land - Planning your Back to the Land Roadmap by Martin
Wealth Creation - Principles of Wealth Creation by Martin

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January 25 - The Campfire Trail - Another Food Storage Option

January 25, 2025

Day 1,212 of the Adventure


For the past week, or maybe two years, I've been on an economics rant concerning food growing, preserving and storage. This past year, we've added a garden to the Campfire Trail property along with a freeze dryer, water bath canner, pressure canner, freeze dryer and now a vacuum sealer. We've always had deep freezers and have been carrying around a dehydrator that we haven't actually used for quite some time. Each has its own purpose, and each is better for some things than others. The vacuum sealer we added today is probably best for things that should be frozen. Although dry goods that do not need refrigerated or frozen are just as appropriate. Our biggest reason for wanting a vacuum sealer was for preparing larger quantities and sealing the bilk of them for later use. Our first item was breakfast sandwiches. We used biscuits and croissants along with egg, cheese and either sausage or ham. When making these for a single breakfast, it takes about as long to make two of them as it does to make a dozen of them. Just freezing the leftovers alone has always attracted frost and freezer burn. Today, we made up about 15 of them and sealed each one in its own package. The only additional step we found necessary was to pre-freeze them prior to vacuum sealing simply to keep the croissants and biscuits from collapsing under the negative pressure of the vacuum. Today we vac sealed more than a dozen breakfast sandwiches, a couple of French Bread Pizza's, a big batch of our garden sweet potatoes and four big servings of Ham and Bean soup. The soup was pre-frozen in silicone containers in the shape of bricks that popped right out of the trays and slipped easily into the freezer bags. All in all, I'm impressed with the results and look forward to adding more of that method of preservation to our pantry and deep freezers. Just one more "do-it-yourself, self-sufficiency" tool in the war against high prices and "grocery store only" options.  (There is a link below for vacuum seal bags with a 10% discount)

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “People who are frugal understand the value of a dollar and make informed and thoughtful decisions. People who are cheap try to spend as little money as possible.” ― Frank Sonnenberg

Resources

Make sure to visit our website regularly to see new products and resources.

YouTube Channel: The Campfire Trail
YouTube Channel: Life of Treasures

Our Books
Treasures of Life - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Treasures of Life 2 - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Back to the Land - Planning your Back to the Land Roadmap by Martin
Wealth Creation - Principles of Wealth Creation by Martin

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Friday, January 24, 2025

January 23 - The Campfire Trail - Today's Contribution To The Pantry

January 23, 2025

Day 1,210 of the Adventure


Today we took a bit of time and effort to extend our pantry supplies by nine half pints and a couple of quarter pints of Concord Grape Jelly. It's not necessarily a "Staple", but it's certainly nice contribution to our future meal planning options. I think I've arrived at the conclusion that Concord Grapes, are in fact, mostly seeds. Once the seeds are removed and the skins pressed out with the pulp, there's as much "roughage" to throw out as there is pulp and juice to process into jelly. Since some of the pulp is retained, it's really more of a jam or preserves than a jelly. No matter to me, it tastes just as good. Shelley was really the driving force behind this. I only jumped in at the end so I could get some credit. I helped a little at the beginning to separate the ripe from the green grapes. I was there again at the end to pour the cooked contents into jars and seal the lids. She did all the real work. I'll be sure to jump back into the process when it comes time to eat them though. So, there's always that!

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “The process cannot take place without the processor. Be part of the process.”
― Luckson T Mabade

Resources

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YouTube Channel: The Campfire Trail
YouTube Channel: Life of Treasures

Our Books
Treasures of Life - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Treasures of Life 2 - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Back to the Land - Planning your Back to the Land Roadmap by Martin
Wealth Creation - Principles of Wealth Creation by Martin

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January 22 - The Campfire Trail - Bad Advice

January 22, 2025

Day 1,209 of the Adventure


It can be astounding just how much bad advice you can find floating around the internet. Even in areas you'd think would be fairly stable. I was reading through a homesteading feed on Facebook this morning and ran across someone describing a problem with their ceiling leaking water. From the limited pictures they had, it was almost painfully obvious what the problem was. A lack of venting of moist air, which in turn causes condensation and eventually dripping water. The advice they were receiving from literally dozens of people was literally close to 95% wrong. The worse part was that most of the responses could have been easily debunked with a semi-decent google search. It's people that don't know what they're doing being lead by other people that don't know what they're doing. Now, to be fair, of the nearly 40 suggestions offered, three of them actually addressed it correctly. That's pretty bad odds if you're trying to make sense, or a consensus, among that many opposing opinions. I wish these poor people luck at figuring their problem out. Even though I titled this post "Bad Advice" the picture here is actually the "Good Advice" related to their problem. 

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “Don't believe anything you read on the net. Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.”
― Douglas Adams

Resources

Make sure to visit our website regularly to see new products and resources.

YouTube Channel: The Campfire Trail
YouTube Channel: Life of Treasures

Our Books
Treasures of Life - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Treasures of Life 2 - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Back to the Land - Planning your Back to the Land Roadmap by Martin
Wealth Creation - Principles of Wealth Creation by Martin

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Thursday, January 23, 2025

January 21 - The Campfire Trail - Some Hope For Spring

January 21, 2025

Day 1,208 of the Adventure


After a pretty good stretch of cold weather, we are beginning to see some temperature moderation in our forecast. As far as I'm concerned, it's about time. A lot of my winter-time activities revolve around monitoring the two-week forecast. This year it's even more of an interest to me as I keep looking for that late winter break in the temps that sends daytime highs into the 50's and 60's and night-time lows only into the mid to lower 30's. Honestly, it's too early for that yet, but we've turned the corner on "average" temperatures now, so I know it's coming.  

The importance of it this year is connected to the re-starting of our house building project. It would be different if we had made it past the concrete work and could work on things that were not so weather dependent. Until we get the cement work done, we will be held hostage by the cold, sub-freezing weather. I suppose we can pick and choose a few non-cement projects to work on in the meanwhile. Things like building the stairway into the basement......... I guess I can do that.......... As soon as it warms up just a bit more!

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “They say, timing is everything. But then they say, there is never a perfect time for anything.” ― Anthony Liccione

Resources

Make sure to visit our website regularly to see new products and resources.

YouTube Channel: The Campfire Trail
YouTube Channel: Life of Treasures

Our Books
Treasures of Life - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Treasures of Life 2 - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Back to the Land - Planning your Back to the Land Roadmap by Martin
Wealth Creation - Principles of Wealth Creation by Martin

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January 20 - The Campfire Trail - A Blue Feathered "Genius Club"

January 20, 2025

Day 1,207 of the Adventure


I guess I didn't even know that Bluebirds wintered over in SW Missouri. They seem so much like a Summertime bird. Shelley was looking out the window of the back door when she suddenly made a dash for her phone and back to the door. I had no idea why but thought it must be deer. She began snapping pictures through the glass and come to find out, it was a small gathering of Bluebirds at the water dish she sets out for them. 

Part of me wants to laugh at things like this and part of me enjoys seeing her excitement over something as simple and a flock of birds. To me, it reminds me of the couple years we spent living in our campground. Every morning, before the day got underway, several of us would congregate around our community campfire. We called our group "The Genius Club". I think the only "Genius" involved in it was the fact that it included, a fire, coffee and a bunch of old guys telling stories and talking about the weather. That was genius enough for me anyway. So this morning, I looked upon a small, feathered genius club out on our back deck and wondered to myself; What were they talking about? Probably the weather!

Carry On

Resources

Make sure to visit our website regularly to see new products and resources.

YouTube Channel: The Campfire Trail
YouTube Channel: Life of Treasures

Our Books
Treasures of Life - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Treasures of Life 2 - Daily Devotional by Shelley
Back to the Land - Planning your Back to the Land Roadmap by Martin
Wealth Creation - Principles of Wealth Creation by Martin

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