I'm feeling like a hibernating bear eager to emerge from his cave, sniffing the outside air for signs of life. Expecting I think another winter storm next week, I'm going to have to force myself to endure the elements to get outside in the great outdoors. Bring my day pack with a steak, EVOO, small backpacking stove, and light skillet to do some invigorating outdoor cooking.
Something. I've become stuck in my chair so much it would take a couple crow bars to get me out. I am...of course...being facetious.
At any rate, I like to motivate myself each season of the year with a list of activities I at least will plan on doing or try doing before Spring arrives, which itself will call for hiking, fishing, camping, and more outings. If a certain blessing occurs next month, we are talking about celebrating with a trip to Ecuador in April or May, depending on coooovid.
1. Winter hike, frying a rib eye on my backpacking stove.
2. Turn up the soil in our garden, and prep it with manure for a month before late March planting. Start seedlings in a tray for the first time. I always just plant into the ground, which is not ideal.
3. A couple more fires in the fireplace, cooking with coals over my dutch oven.
4. Start using the BBQ smoker again on days the temp is above 50 degrees F.
5. Build an old-fashioned snow man in our front yard, as a cultural statement of upholding American Tradition in order to celebrate the beauty of snow during the winter season.
6. Go sledding. We don't own a sled, and I don't anticipate much sledding in our future, but I have an itch to go sledding after probably 20 years the last time I went. So I won't throw down the $30 - $40 for a decent modern sled, but instead make one with a large piece of cardboard wrapped and taped with trash bags. There is a steep hill not two miles from our house allowed to be used every year for city sledders.
7. Some hot chocolate would go nice after the sledding. Strange, I don't think I've had any hot cocoa yet this season.
8. Re-fill new front yard bird feeder with bird seed, to be the first neighbor to attract the birds as they start stirring about more than they do in the coldest part of winter. Note to self, this year though I need to deter the squirrels and crows from eating up the seed in a flash, I'm thinking with a scare crow.
9. Instead of watching the woke Super Bowl (what sport is not woke nowadays), we'll be eating buffalo wings and celery sticks watching the American Freedom Truck Convoy! I read something about one prediction being that kicks off on Superbowl Sunday.
10. More winter comfort cooking in my new 3.2 Liter dutch oven combo cooker from the great folks over at Lodge, in the great state of Tennessee.
Yes sir.