Greetings, All.
Well, MN had its fourth snowiest Month since records have been kept, – 38.9 inches. Plus, that is more snow than we have had in several recent winters! It is March 1<sup>st</sup> and snowing again. We would need to have 40 inches of snow, in this month alone, to beat the March record set in 1951 (and third snowiest month). The way things are going, that might just happen.
Columbia River: I had forgotten about the homemade hay boxes/thermal cookers. That is a great idea. This sounds like a good project for a loss-of-electricity day. Get the liquid hot – on your grill, and put it all into the thermal cooker box.
Here is what I thought I would do, and have not gotten around to yet. It is just another item on my to-do-list. I have a RevereWare stainless steel “Dutch Oven” and thought I could use it. I like the idea of a cooler because it is already insulated. I read one article about using blankets to stuff around the pot, with a metal trivet under the pan so it does not harm the blanket or cooler. Where I thought I would be clever is to make a bag just to fit my pot – inside the blankets. Since I sew, it would not be difficult. Not a big fluffy bag filled with polystyrene beads, they could go in a bag around the pot, but a tight fitting one. What I have found at the fabric store is insulation material; the type of material you would use for hot pads, inside coats, or in thermal curtains. If I can make a pattern for the Dutch oven, I would cut a layer (or two) of this insulation for an interior batting, then have a three (or four) layer bag. Plus add a circular, flat pillow of several layers of batting for the top of the bag to go underneath the drawstring/shoestring gathered top. The only problem I see is that, if I transport the cooler, I am afraid the liquid might spill. I have no solution for that yet.
Ann Dixon: Thank you for the reasoning behind four months of stocking. I had not heard about that book.
Woodsrunner: Adding pictures is difficult. I tried sending some by email but they were much too large and took a day to load. We have a Mac and I learned this: Open the picture. When it is open you may see, on the menu bar, the word Preview. There is a menu along with it. I go to “Tools” and then down to “Adjust Size”. If you imagine the size you want the picture to be, it will be probably no larger than your computer screen – say 8×11. So, under “Adjust Size” I see “width” and “height.” Pick ONE and change it. The one I have up now says 21.33 inches. I can change that width to 11 and the height will automatically change with it if you see the boxes underneath it checked “scale proportionally”. OR go to Custom Pixels. For something you just want to post, pick the 320x 240 pixels one. For a little better quality, 640 X 480 pixels. If you do not know which to pick, and don’t want to make a mistake, do this – make a copy of your picture first. For me, on a Mac, it is Command, Shift, S. Then, play with your copy. That way you have your original if you make a mistake. Remember, if you have not clicked to Save, you can always Undo. Good Luck.
Old Mt Woman; Little Sister: hope your friends improve quickly.
Muffy – glad you are back.
Missing you Marilyn.
Enjoy March and be Safe Everyone.