Three Sheets of Newspaper and a Match

The campfire. One needs an annual permit, and must register one’s intent on burning each day. This we gladly do, as the fire department then knows where all controlled fires are in the region. If anything gets out of hand they will know where to find it. Planes fly over frequently, perhaps they are checking on the status of the registered fires.

This week saw a second outing to the Camp.

There is much to be done at the Camp. Attila trims the weeds, to make a lawn of sorts, it looks beautiful to us. Cutting the lawn takes up a lot of time, but has many benefits. It cuts down on the mosquitoes and other undesirable bugs. It is easier to walk about the place. It leaves the appearance that someone cares about the property. And it ensures that only short weeds survive, which eliminates things like brambles, and wild grapes.

My activities are now very limited at the camp, due to the aneurysm. I no longer wrestle small dead trees to ground, drag them through the bush to the encampment, break them into segments, and burn them in the campfire. Now all I can do is to gather smaller fallen branches from the bush, to burn in the campfire. Of course, tending a camp fire is a full time job, it needs constant attention. There are municipal laws governing how wide and how tall a fire can burn, and since the wood that is burned varies in size and shape, attention must be paid to the placement of the wood.

I am good with campfires. Give me a few small branches that have fallen from the trees, three sheets of dry newspaper, and a match, and I will get a fire going within a few minutes. I start all of our campfires at the camp, with just the newspaper and a match, even after it has been raining and everything is damp, I always get it going. I haven’t yet tried to start a fire using a flint, or by rubbing wood together, but perhaps someday I will give those more basic methods a try. For now my newspaper and match do the job.

I begin my search for small branches as soon as I exit the vehicle. Then I grab my tools, newspaper and match, and get the fire going right away. A nice bed of coals is needed to grill our cheese and onion sandwiches.

There is something very soothing about a campfire. There is something very satisfying about clearing dead wood, to use in the campfire. Tending a campfire requires almost constant motion, finding the wood, feeding it into the fire, moving it about as needed. This activity makes for a very enjoyable and relaxing day.

The leaves are beginning to turn at the camp, falling gently to the ground. The weather for this visit was almost perfect, but it was a little bit on the warm side for tending a fire, the humidex was around 34C. It was important to keep drinking water, to stay hydrated.

Attila is beginning to make plans for keeping the mice out of Grace the trailer. Another mouse was in the mouse trap, they are beginning to seek shelter for the winter, in our trailer. Since Attila is retired, it will be possible to visit the Camp more often, and to empty the traps more frequently. Hopefully this will be the last autumn we have to battle the mice for possession of the trailer.

Upon arriving home, Ginger had a LOT to say about about being left behind. At first he would not accept our apologies, but eventually he succumbed to lavish petting while sitting on Attila’s lap. Then all was well in his world, and all was forgiven, this time.

Worldly

Weather

21°C
Date: 7:00 PM EDT Saturday 21 September 2024
Condition: Mostly Cloudy
Pressure: 101.3 kPa
Tendency: Falling
Temperature: 21.0°C
Dew point: 18.4°C
Humidity: 85%
Wind: NW 3 km/h
Humidex: 27
Visibility: 24 km

Quote

“As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.”
Josh Billings
1818 – 1885

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Teri

Your grilled cheese and onion sandwiches sound tasty. DH introduced me to his version many years ago. What he does is sprinkle a small pinch of onion salt on the cheese. IMO, it really is much better than a standard grilled cheese, so I usually do my own sandwiches like that. Now, you have me wondering if combining onion salt with onion in a grilled cheese might be tasty..