With power off now for quite a while, I decided it was time to fall back on some of the things I learned living deep in the woods.  Seven years without grid power, and we always had refrigeration and ice for our drinks.  I wrote an article for Country Side magazine once… why try to keep it 40* Inside when it’s 40* outside.   I think it’s past the 40 degrees outside, especially since it’s been in the 20’s at night; so I set two dish pans filled with water out on the deck. Once frozen, I will keep one at a time in the refrigerator to keep things cool.  A refrigerator is nothing but a big cooler, and the insulation is better than the real icebox I used in the woods.  It might take a day or so for that dish pan to freeze solid, after that, it’s a matter of rotating before it completely thaws:  much easier to re-freeze cold water and a partial block of ice, than it is to freeze plain water.  I filled my ice cube trays and set them on top the hot tub.  Like before, I’ll keep breaking them into a zip lock baggie and use as needed.  Some things we just don’t forget how to do.

I moved what was left in the freezer into coolers and set them on the back deck.  I can’t continue to run the generator to keep the freezer going, that’s just not practical.  The coolers should be fine there, with the lower temps and no sun, and all the animals in hibernation.  I will still take one thing a day, and thaw it in the fridge to help with the cooling, until it’s gone …. Although there is little now to keep chilled: catsup, mustard, mayo, eggs, cheese, pickles, and all the butter from the freezer.  I still have a half head of garden cabbage, but I’m saving that for a special salad.  The potatoes, onions, beets, turnips and two pumpkins I harvested from the garden are in the cold pantry.  I even have a bag of apples!  Maybe I’ll have baked apples for dessert on Christmas…. Or an apple pie.  I made a pumpkin & apple pie for a contest a couple of years ago.  I didn’t win, but I sure liked the combination.

Working on a menu will give me something to do.  Let’s see, the spiral sliced ham that’s out in the barn refrigerator, sweet potatoes that I canned over the summer, a green bean casserole, also from the canned from the garden;  I’ll bake some fresh bread or better yet, rolls!  That way everyone can take some home; and the baked apples.  Perfect.  Hope Bob & Kathy remember to bring the wine.