December 18: Still so much more relaxed since we have a doctor finally. But experienced a real frustration today when I went to check things in the car emergency bag and found the emergency cook stove was missing! I have no idea what happened – did I put it in daughter’s car when she went on a trip last year? No. Not there. Did husband clean out the car and absent-mindedly decide it should go in the tool shed? No. He looked and looked. Not there. I can’t figure it out, and we need to come up with an alternative.
One thing we do have is an excess of bricks. Going to try this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onMbSLuC7Oc) – if the link doesn’t work, it’s “DIY brick rocket stove – cooking without power” on Tinyhouse Prepper. But I have to build and test before Friday – and then if it works, throw it in the trunk for emergencies.
Need to learn how to build a good 3-stone cooking fire. A well-made one is supposed to be as efficient as a modern cooking stove (https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2014/06/thermal-efficiency-cooking-stoves.html – if link doesn’t work, it’s “Well-tended fires outperform modern cooking stoves” at the Low-Tech Magazine site). But I am far, far from being able to build a good 3-stone cooking fire. Last time I tried to cook over an open fire was truly an adventure. So much to learn. I think Selco’s assertion that skill is more important than equipment is true.