Family Memories #3 The Birthday

Not all memories have to be from long ago. Some are being made as we go. This week I am going to give a shout out to my  youngest son.

This weekend we will be celebrating his eighteenth birthday. I know, that means I am getting old.

I am not his biological father but I am his dad. I became a part of his life several years ago. His natural dad is not part of his life. I am thankful that he has accepted me as part of his life. I truly count him as my son.

I have never asked him for help when he has not gotten up and delivered. He is one of the few young men his age that will stay with a task as long as I do. That is saying something in this day and age.

I am letting him drive my old Bronco, the perfect vehicle for any true male. He is very proud to drive it and I trust him with it completely.

He is not what one would typically classify as an outdoors type person, but he has learned a ton since we have gotten to know each other. I have been able to teach him to change a tire, check the fluids in a car, run a chainsaw, split wood, and several other things. He has never let me down.

We celebrated his birthday in fine rural fashion with a bon-fire. A few of his friends came over. We grilled over 70 hotdogs. One of his friends turned the jack of his truck into a mini swimming pool. A great time was had by all.

Our daughter and nephew in the "Truck Pool"

Son, I want to thank you for letting me be your dad. Take the lessons I have tried to teach you and make your own...

Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes.

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For more posts with my son, check these out:

A Family Tradition of Sustainability
DIY Preparing for a New Home
Why Skill Development is So Important
Helping a Friend and Teaching My Sons

The Home Fires Are Burning

Allow me to get sentimental for a moment. We burned out first fire of the season this week. I know some of you have had to burn several by this point, but this was our first. I believe there is something magical about the first fire of the season. This fire was extra special for me, it was not only the first fire of the season, it was also the first fire in our new home. The first fire always brings back lots of memories for me. 

I have lived with wood heat basically my whole life. I do not remember the first time my dad had me help cut the firewood. I do remember that he always started cutting firewood in August, the hottest part of the year. Lord how we would sweat. I can still hear my granddad say "When a man cuts his own wood, it warms him twice". Never truer words have been spoken. If you have cut your own wood you know what I mean.

After the wood was cut the larger pieces still had to be split, and it did not seem to matter how much of the wood you split, we always ended up with too many large pieces and still had to split some in winter. I counted it all fun, even though it was very hard work. I always felt proud that even at a fairly young age I was helping take care of my family.

We did not have a fireplace when I was growing up. We had a King brand wood heater. The kind with the removable to that would expose a cooking surface. It kept up warm during the coldest times of winter. In fact many times it kept us too warm. My mother had the ability to get that heater so fired up that we would have the windows and even the front door open because it was so hot in the house and this in January in the middle of an ice storm. (Love you Mom, but you know it is true.) 

We used that heater to cook soups and just beans during a power outage due to an ice storm. I remember baking potatoes in the fire box. I remember having to dump the ashes in the garden. I also remember coming home from school on a really cold day and being able to smell the fire before the school bus topped the hill. As soon as the bus reached the top of the hill ,I could see the smoke coming from the chimney and everything was better. Those memories are over thirty years old and yet they are still very dear to me.

As I am writing this I can look over at the fire I have built for tonight. When I look at the flames and hear the soft crackling of the fire it makes perfect sense to me that the hearth was so important to the Greeks that it had it's own goddess. Hestia was the Greek goddess of the hearth and home, she was described as simple "having a wooden throne and a woolen pillow", not ambitious "she never chose herself an emblem", but important to everyone.

In spite of all of the challenges we still face, my wife and I have built the best life I have ever known. We keep The Home Fires Burning and I hope and trust that you will too. Together we can help the world to ...

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Quick, Easy, and Cheap Treats (Gregg's Treats)

Growing up my dad was the primary sweet maker. That might have been because he was the primary sweet eater. He made nearly all of the sweets that were consumed while I was growing up. I watched him make all kinds of wonderful things, I also saw him make a few disasters, but that is part of experimenting with food.

Dad taught me a few basic principles that apply to more than just making treats. (1) Simple is always better. (2) Use existing products when at all possible. (3) Always be willing to change things up. I have added a few rules that only apply to treats (1) Chocolate is good (2) Peanut Butter is Good and (3) Anything that helps me skip a step is Good.

Don't get me wrong Rice Kripsy treats are good and all, but my version is much better. Only three ingredients and about six minutes will give you a really yummy treat for the whole family. (If you or anyone in your family has peanut allergies you know you cannot have these treats. Sorry)

Ingredients:

2 bags marshmallows

Jar peanut butter

Frosted Flakes

That is it. Sorry I don't measure anything unless I am following someone else's recipe. Take 1 1/2 bags of marshmallows and put them in a microwavable bowl and about 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter (Like I said I do not measure I just dump peanut butter in there till it looks right. You will figure it out after a try or two.) Microwave on high for 3 1/2 minutes. You will notice the marshmallows expanding as they melt so don't let them overflow the bowl or you will have a sticky mess. 

Once you take the marshmallow and peanut butter out of the microwave start mixing in the frosted flakes. I normally use about 1/2 a box. Again I don't measure. What you are looking for is a good firm consistency that is still light enough for you to stir. You will notice that it will get stringy, this is a good thing. I like a nice light brown color. After I have everything mixed up well I take a wooden spoon and pack the treats down into the pan or bowl. I sprinkle a layer of frosted flakes on top and pat them down with the wooden spoon as well. Let cool and eat. That is it.

These treats can be made on the stove top as well. It is best if you have a double boiler, but can be made with direct heat, you just have to be very careful to keep the marshmallows from scorching.

These treats are very customize able as well. I have added chocolate chips several times and I have even made these treats with chocolate cereal. Just be creative. I will be posting two more recipes for simple treats in the very near future. I hope you enjoy.

Life should not be all serious. Some times a treat is all that is needed to make a day better. I hope you like these. You can follow this blog by clicking the Join This Site button which is on this page. You can join in the conversation, see the free ebooks that I have found and just generally stay connected with The Rural Economist by following on Facebook by clicking HERE

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A Rural Economist Salute to Fathers

This post is not going to be exactly as I planned. I had intended on writing about homesteading, farming, and country dads because that is who I am and what I promote. Something made me realize that this post had to be much broader.

I was blessed today to meet a man that was taking his son and grandchildren out for an adventure. All I will say is it turned out to be a bigger adventure than they anticipated. I do not know if I would have met this man under normal circumstances. The man I met today in everything he said and did he showed his love for his family and his God. He also showed his concern for his fellowman. In the course of our conversation he quoted Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. This man was diligently trying to teach his children and grandchildren to be honorable and God fearing people. He is teaching them the only ways that he knows. He is teaching them the ways of the city, but with honor. He does not face an easy task.

In the past couple of decades the image of fathers has taken a beating. I have seen the portrayal of fathers change from decent, well meaning characters to a bumbling bunch of buffoons.  That every member of the family takes pleasure in ridiculing and manipulating. I will quickly admit that we are partially to blame for this transition. There are far too many men out there that would rather spend their time on the golf course, the lake or in the woods than with their children. There is nothing wrong with wanting some time to yourself, but always make time for your children. Lots of time for your children. 

As a homestead dad, I am all about teaching and showing my children the ways of the country. Rural skills that I believe will be needed in the difficult times that I think are to come. I love teaching my children about splitting firewood, how to do basic auto maintenance, anything and everything I can teach them. I teach all of my children anything in which I can get them interested. This is not only my duty, it is my joy.

To all the fathers out there, do not leave this responsibility to your wives. Take your  place. Do what is right. The future of our nation depends on us passing skills on to our children.

I salute those of you who do your best. To you mothers that have been forced to be both dad and mom, I salute you even more. We can teach our children to 

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