Found this recipe over at Detox Tips and I’m giving it a try.
Since we were out at the cabin, we used half green tea and half black tea and canned in fruit juice peaches because that is what we had, making do. We also added chia seeds because we can.
Guess what? It was pretty good. The girls and I liked it. We’ll be making it again. It wasn’t too sweet, just a hint of sweetness. The peach flavor was just right.
My cousin by marriage, Dana, of blessed memory, was a petite, sweet, fiery, passionate woman who shared many of my own likes & dislikes. We were the same age as well. We lived far apart but whenever we were together there was no shortage of conversation.
Today she would be 50 years young.
She passed 15 days after her 38th birthday, far too young.
I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one. I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done. I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways. Of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days. I’d like the tears of those who grieve, to dry before the sun; of happy memories that I leave when life is done. ~Afterglow, Anonymous.
Can a wood stove classify as a sourdough? If so, this old boy is high on the list. Someone’s handiwork, made of plate steel, it sported a 2″ boiler valve on the backside which we’ve determined was for air intake and long ago plugged off with ash build up. This old stove has kept Dad & his cabin warm for more than 30 years. (The floor was unpainted under the metal disks the legs sat on. I know he painted the floor right before I visited in ’92.)
This stove was repurposed from another location and at the time was a big improvement from what Dad had, which, for a while, was a homemade 55 gal barrel stove . In the true sourdough spirit, you use what you have until you can upgrade. Often those improvements were found, made, repurposed or gifted to you. You just weren’t in the position to go buy a brand new replacement nor able to haul it out easily. And all too often sourdoughs used some awful sketchy wood stove setups!
Besides having a small fire box and just not burning through the night, the old thing was so leaky we always seemed to smoke ourselves right out. Every time you opened the front door of the cabin a big puff of smoke would come out from the middle seam of the stove doors. Even with new gaskets it would still belch out smoke.
It does have the benefit of a cooktop and plenty of space for the water pots. And it’s hell bent for stout. It will have a new purpose to be sure.
We wrestled the heavy old thing out to make room for our new-to-us Earth Stove. I scored this one off Facebook marketplace from a nice fella named Dave. I’ll admit, being able to drive right out with it in the back of our truck made replacing this stove possible. I can’t image trying to pack it in any other way.
There’s just enough room for the two water pots on top of this stove. Or one water pot and the coffee pot. Priorities.
Come spring we’ll pull this stove outside, remove the rust and re-black it. It will look like new! Maybe we’ll paint the floor too.?.?
The old stove will make our new shop nice and warm next winter. That is, if we get it built this summer. 😉 A place where we don’t have to worry about things like smoke leaking out and such. The old boy will go on to warm us for a long while.
Over the years we’ve had a few visitors, my Mom & Seester, my cousin Shirley, friend Lynn, fake sister Nikki… But as many or more have promised to visit and never have (looking at you Wes!). Always they ask, when should we visit and what is there to do? Of course I always say June is too busy, but come any other time! And there’s so much to do. How much money (or how little) do you want to spend?
Halibut and salmon fishing are always top on people’s lists. Then there’s hiking and camping and sightseeing and hanging out in Homer and on and on.
Locally we have quite a few things as well. Soldotna has a nice little homesteading museum. Plus lots of fishing access. A wonderful park in the middle of town and all summer long the Music in the Park Series, free on Wednesday evenings.
For more local opportunities click here. I advise people to discover things that they might want to do then decide when to come. All too often I’m asked about seeing the Auroras and people have no clue that this is a *winter* activity!
So if you’re planning a visit this year (Thing 1’s graduation??) and are looking for something to do while you’re here, start planning now! Maybe we’ll see *you* soon!
Alaska on my mind... 