Last post I mentioned that Mother Nature was whooping my butt at night with the freezing temperatures. I had been using a 30-degree sleeping bag and with temperatures in the thirties and forties, I was miserable at night and unable to sleep. We ended up purchasing a Coleman North Rim 0 Degree Sleeping Bag and paid for overnight shipping through Amazon Prime. Luckily, with help from an awesome UPS Customer Service Representative we were able to receive the packages and I was able to use the sleeping bag last night. The weather for Holly Hill, SC was forecasted to have a low of 28 degrees last night however, when we checked our thermometer in the morning it read a low of 21 degrees. The sleeping bag worked beautifully! I was able to sleep through the night and actually woke up at 430AM in a panic that we had slept in because I had been waking up throughout the night, I thought for sure that we overslept and missed the 545AM alarm. In addition to the new sleeping bag, I purchased a pair of Carhartt Men’s Extremes Cold Weather Boot Socks. They are a wool blend, which is much more desirable than the cotton socks I had been previously using. Lastly, we both purchased Original Turtle Fur Fleece Hats. William owns a Turtle Fur from his youth, and he recommended that I purchase one to wear to bed as well, especially if it happens to be a bath day and my hair may be damp. The combination of the new sleeping bag, socks and the turtle fur allowed me to finally have a great nights sleep (and William too!). I will also mention that I brought along and packed my Wall’s Youth Insulated Coveralls that we purchased years ago and have ended up wearing them almost 24/7, especially when I’m sleeping or need the extra windbreak. I’m excited for another night of full rest and no longer dread the colder temperatures!
Now that we decided that I would be staying around camp more, I have taken on more responsibilities around our camp. For example, last night I cooked my first meal for William and I using the SilverFire stove. We have been calling the meal “Stew Potatoes” although we really just made that name up. I placed two good size potatoes in the SilverFire pot and cover them with water and just cook them for around 45 minutes, almost like making mashed potatoes. When they are nice and mushy we place them into our separate eating containers and cover them with shredded cheese, sour cream and mounds of butter – yum! Tonight I plan on making a Mountain House meal as William is not expected back until well after dark – they had to drive an hour to the planting location today and they don’t stop planting until dark, so it could be after 7PM until he is home. This morning I’ve collected quite a bit of sticks and a large tree branch I found on the ground in order to use either in our Riley stove or the SilverFire. I’ve also boiled some water to prepare a Mountain House meal for myself for lunch – I only ate half, but the other half I placed into our Yeti Tundra 65 Quart Cooler. I learned that I can save whatever portion of a meal I do not eat, and just place the bag back in the pot with some hot water and it will steam the meal again. This process works out great because one pouch of food is usually 2 to 2.5 servings, which is too much for me at one time.
While my meal “cooked” I washed dishes using two wooden bowls and Dr. Bronner’s Organic Castile Liquid Lavender Soap. Dr. Bronner’s soap has been amazingly versatile, William and I use it for pretty much everything when we need to clean up. My next chore is to exercise Ripley and play with her for a while as she has been patiently waiting all morning (since 545AM!).