Taxes are done!
I use TurboTax’s free federal tax form to file. It’s an easy process, but I procrastinate anyway, every year. This year I pay $96 in taxes due to my teacher retirement plan.
Every day the crew and I explore a different area around our campsite.
I’m always on the look-out for interesting plants. This high desert doesn’t offer a lot of plant variety. You have to look closely.
Bridget and Spike know to stand still while I take close-up photos. I wonder what this bud will look like in a few weeks.
We walk past the San Dominique Winery . . .
. . . which is also a garlic paradise? The interstate is not far from our camp.
Rusty and Timber come over and sit a spell.
Well, Rusty sits with me and Timber trots around on his tether.
Bridget continues to snarl at Timber.
Spike and Timber resume diplomatic relations, finally negotiating a peace treaty in the canine manner. It goes like this . . . Earlier, when Timber was inside his camper, Spike went over and pooped under their tree.
Today Timber accepts Spike’s peace proposal and reciprocates by depositing a poop at our campsite.
The treaty is official!
Later, as I’m slogging through TurboTaxLand, Spike goes over to Rusty and Timber’s campsite. I don’t notice his absence. Finally I push the electronic send button for the taxes and return to planet Earth.
“Hey, where’d Spike go?” Bridget gives me her I-dunno face.
I look around outside and there’s Spike over at Timber’s site, hopping around, playing with Timber! It’s almost dark.
Spike sees me looking at him and immediately torpedoes his way home.
He zips right by me and sails through the open door of the BLT. I have to laugh. Spike runs like he’s shot from guns when he’s happy. I follow him inside. There he sits on the bed, ready to turn in for the night like a good boy.
He gives me the cutest face with bright eyes before settling into the covers. (This is an old photo, one of the few that captures his happy, impish look.) In about a minute he’s snoring. What a guy!
Bridget, who never left her station on the bed, looks at me as if to say, “What was that all about?”
On a totally unrelated subject . . .
I love bread in all its glorious forms: crusty French bread, greasy biscuits, pita bread, tortillas (warm or cold), good ol’ American sliced white bread, even when it’s been flattened by a careless grocery clerk, bagels of any variety, crunchy croutons, dumplings bobbing in chicken broth, pumpernickel, real sourdough that gives me a rash, tender dinner rolls, English muffins with marmalade, banana nut bread so moist it has wet spots in it, homemade whole wheat bread heavy as a concrete block, and, oh my, cinnamon raisin bread . . .
I love it all, but I don’t eat it anymore because it slaps on the pounds.
Most of all, I love rye bread. I love it when it’s holding together hard salami slices and raw onions dabbed with horseradish mustard. I love it with cheese melted on top. I even love it with peanut butter. Most of all, I love it when it’s toasted and buttered with each bite dipped in a mug of hot, fresh-brewed coffee.
Oh, I’ve missed it so.
At times I’ve thought . . . If a person should walk by this camp holding a slice of buttered rye toast while I’m drinking my morning coffee, I swear I’ll pick up my camp chair, knock him to the ground, and wrestle it right out of his hand.
Even if I buy a loaf of rye, I have no way to toast it.
Until NOW! While at Many Trails RV yesterday, I bought a contraption for toasting over a stove. (An electric toaster draws too much power.)
This clever item can be found on the Shopping Links page, “For the road and campsite.”
I know, three slices is a lot. . . but it makes the coffee taste so good and I did share it with the crew!
rvsue
I am a bread loving girl myself! I am trying to cut back/give it up for the same poundage reason – so hard!
Bread… the staff of life and what a great comfort food! Cute name — Cheapchick.
I have that stove top toaster as well and love giving it friends who are embarking upon a life on wheels! As I read your blog today, I really feel you would make a great food writer with your compelling descriptions of your love of bread! Celebrate life…Laurie currently in Yuma with the ‘Love is my country: living life as an Ambassador of Love’ tour.
Great gift idea, Laurie. I could never be a food writer. I’d run out and find the food and always be eating.
AMEN about the bread…Love it all (except Southern cornbread) And Rye Bread Toast flowing with butter,…..oh my, what a delight. I love your new contratraption and am so happy for you that you can now enjoy rye bread toast!!!
Ooh, I left out cornbread! Yum! You have to eat it with the broth from collard greens.
Definitely!! 🙂
And a bowl of beans with raw onion.
Or some hot BBQ!
Oh Boy! How about corny cornbread, just add a small can of creamed corn to the batter and that’s it, very moist, Goes good with baby Lima beans flavored with smoked turkey necks , small sweet onion and freshly ground black pepper. All done in a crock pot. a cheap meal fit for a king..
I LOVE LIMA BEANS. I should have that made into a bumper sticker for the back of the BLT.
OK – you are all making me so hungry! And I thought I was the only one left in the world that loves Lima Beans! I love looking at your desert photos, I miss the southwest landscapes, traded my life in Los Angeles 15 years ago for Alaska! My old Husky Hoss even manages to get tiny grouchy poodles to play with him, I wonder if Bridget would give him the cold shoulder, LOL!
Fresh Hot cornbread, with butter and honey.. Might just be better than Chocolate Cake!! (Shawnee, OK)
Kate, Dominick, mockturtle, and Page…. I hope none of my readers are trying to keep to a weight-loss diet! You guys know how to EAT!
Oh yes, Buttermilk cornbread (no sugar kind) with turnip greens and what we call the liquior (juice)!! Yum and yes, pinto beans and onions.
Maybe all of us southerns should get together and have a pot luck……..LOL My Dad like cornbread crumbled up in milk for a late night snack, buttermilk or regular………You forgot the greenbeans, fresh tomatoes, green onions and cornbread.
my sister eats cornbread with butter and maple syrup
We call it “the lick-er” 🙂
Yes, pot licker.:) haha
Or don’t forget honey butter.
cornbread and fried cabbage. Just had some for lunch.
We have the same toaster on the sailboat, and it does get used. It’s not the bread that puts on the pounds, but it might be the butter that goes on the bread!
It’s both. Carbs and fat… my favorite food groups.
Bridget snarling at Timber??? Not sweet ole princess Bridget!
Had to laugh at Spike and Timber’s treaty. Ah hah…when you were deeply engrossed with your taxes…the criminal sneaks out and wanders TOWARD Rusty and Timber’s camp. Not only that…he’s playing! What a goof ball!
What a neat contraption. I’ve seen them for the campfire..but not the stove.
Spike has some kind of radar that picks up on me being distracted. It was so cute. I guess he felt like he was a bad boy sneaking over to play with Timber, but he was so dang happy . . . As soon as he sees me looking at him, he darts home. Gosh, I love him.
They are so funny. I had to laugh too about the treaty thing. Seems to have worked, though. I told my Otto(min schnauzer). He loves to run like the wind!! He grabbed a towel by the back porch in his mouth and ran as hard as he could off the porch and back and forth in the yard. It reminded me so much of when my kids were little and they would play superman with a towel wrapped around their neck……Fun , fun!!
…
Min-pins are neat dogs. I like them almost as much as rat terriers.
A loaf of bread, a jug of wine….and a pound of butter! Now that’s living.
or
(Wo)man cannot live on bread alone- you need peanutbutter & coffee, too….
. . . and cheese. . .
Love every single darn one of those bread items too and rye is one of my very favorites, especially if it comes with the fennel seeds! Three cheers for cinnamon sugar!! OK, so twist my arm….got to have that style toaster…I’m on it. Off to shop :O)
Do you mean caraway seeds? That is what is standardly used in rye bread.
It’s a handy item for people who rely on a camp stove for their cooking. I know you’ll like yours, fellow breadlover!
We are so lucky that Chuck’s niece is a CPA and does all our taxes for free…. and some turquoise !
We tried one of those stove-top toasters, it had assembly required, DUH how hard can that be???? Yet it ended up in the trash all bungled up! Spikey is without a doubt the cutest little devilish imp EVER! Bridget is just cute all the time and maybe bit spoiled too!
I cannot believe you could not lift up the wires on the camp toaster without breaking it. People, don’t worry. You WILL be able to pull up the wires. Sheesh…
The one we got at camping world actually had to be put together and was differant than yours! People, DIFFERANT FROM SUES!!!!!!
You remember how I love my Ruebens, since Groovy closed, haven’t had a good one.
Rye & French……yuummmmm. Hard Salami….. but I make my own horseradish mustard by mixing ground horseradish with Frenchs mustard…just had some on a Spam sandwich and my sinuses are all cleared out!!!!
Yeah, Groovy Gritz made the best Reuben sandwiches. I bet that fresh horseradish mustard punches up the Spam!
We have a griddle and right before we fix our eggs, We butter 2 slices of bread and toast it on the griddle. It works and saves room. So good that you now have toast. I have some coool bread recipes if you are interested.
Thanks for the offer. I don’t need to be baking bread… don’t have an oven anyway. Someday I’ll buy the solar oven.
Have seen the solar oven bake bread and make a mac & cheese casserole. Really neat. Take a look at the Cobb cooker, not big and it does a lot of neat stuff. Couple that had the solar oven had a Cobb and it cooks a whole meal on 4-5 pieces of charcoal. CW has started to carry them but I’m sure that Amazon carries them. Do you get credit$ for associate vendors if we go thru Amazon???
Great to see Rusty looking so good! Timber and Spikey…that sounds like mischief looking for a place to happen! Good pic of Rustys truck, it’s real neat!
Yes, I get credit for purchases with third parties on Amazon. I’ll look up the Cobb cooker. Thanks, Chuck.
You do know you can bake bread of all sorts on a campfire, don’t ya? Or maybe you do now…lol. There are lots of different recipes for baking bread on a campfire some involve a dutch oven (pot with lid) and others just foil. Might be worth a look-see for you. I know, bread = carbs = bad, but sometimes with the right ingredients bread can be made healthy.
Since we are talking recipes…. grilled bread with cheese with 2 slices of bacon and hot pepper jelly. Delish…… I bet you can wrap it in tin foil pouch and cook over a fire too… Is it time to go home for dinner yet????
Oh my, oh my… That’s a whole lot of delicious fat!
Dipped in tomato basil soup!! Yummmm!!
Throw in some avocado slices in the sandwich with cheese and bacon. Getting hungry again.
Yer kilin’ me!
I love to fix my bread inn the cast iron skillet. A little butter and you get the taste of butter without it soaking into the bread. Then fry a couple of eggs in the bit of butter left in the skillet. I indulge myself about once a week. The cornbread (without sugar) is a twice a year celebration for New Year’s Day and once in the summer. Black-eyed peas and turnip or mixed greens with vinegar. and the cornbread to sop up the juice. Heaven! Southern cooking at it’s best.
Barb in Pismo
That skillet bread sounds really good.
Ahh, Spikey you remind me of my Rowdy. That’s what he does! Plus, he likes to take small items out into the yard and line them up and then BARK for the neighbor’s little girl to come out and see how straight of line he can make with a shoe, wash cloth, yellow highlighter, and a sock or two. I wondered why he had a yellow beard. I discovered his project and I yelled and told him he was so ready for kindergarten. He takes off running hell bent for the door sliding those hind feet as he makes the corner. I walk in and he’s laying down just looking at me with that look “did you pick it all up.” The neighbors had watched him from start to finish, and watched me picking up after the child dog. They are laughing for all to hear. DOGS, gotta love them.
Glad he and Timber made a treaty, maybe they could teach a few Countries how to do that and the world could all be a peace.
Does Rusty have an email or Blog?
Taxes, grrr… think I will skip that duty for another day. Maybe a week. What’s the rush?
Have a super day! Can’t wait to see the Canine Corner reporting their next big story.
Kay
I hate to say it but Rowdy sounds like he has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Does he wash his paws often?
LOL No, I have to do that AFTER he’s dug holes when the dirt has had jusssst enough rain to make almost mud. Rowdy needs to go to doggie classes. He is suppose to be a White Schnauzer….. he’s every color but White some days. This morning, he was bright yellow. I so wish he was more like your Princess Bridget.
Yes, it’s t2.rome-rs.on@hotmail.com
Sitting around watching TV if I get a hankering for something to eat I often take a few soda crackers and a jar of smooth peanut butter into the den and well, the rest is self evident. Also fattening but oh so good.
Oh yeah, that’s a good one, Jim. Funny, I mention food and everybody offers their favorites.
I have one of those toasters in the Aliner . Love all those breads too, since joining weight watchers on line, I use WW bread. When I get off track, I have whatever I want. Lost 25 pounds tho.
Your dogs are so cute…glad Spike and Timber are getting along.
That’s like me. I go on the Dukan diet when I start putting on the weight. Then I go back to enjoying food in moderation. I keep the Dukan breakfast all the time — fat free milk with a quarter-cup of oat bran stirred in.
Congratulations on losing 25 pounds. That’s quite an accomplishment.
Had one of these when we used to tent camp. They work great!
Having never camped before going full-time, these gadgets are new to me.
My husband and I use the toaster when we tent camp. We love it! I love your “crew”. They are adorable. My husband and I checked out the Casita Liberty. Nice trailer. We hope to get one and head to Arizona to soak up the sunshine. It’s been a dream of ours. Have a great day!
I do hope your dream comes true. There are so many places and ways to camp in Arizona. I haven’t even explored most of the state and already have a bunch of good memories.
I have used a toaster like that a lot since I was a kid (and that’s been a while, like 50 years), mostly camping, but sometimes I prefer that kind of toast and use it at home. Takes a bit of tending, but it’s a satisfying chore.
I like that phrase . . . “a satisfying chore.” I think that’s part of what I like about a simple life, boondocking and traveling around. The daily chores are uncomplicated and satisfying, like washing out a few clothes by hand and hanging them to dry in the breeze, or sweeping off the outdoor rug, or cooking on a grill, whatever.
Ok, you guys are making me hungry…
I know! It’s like an all-you-can-eat blog!
I love your blog,we spend the winter in Q-Town and summers about 60 miles south of Buffalo,NY. We are our way home but dragging our feet hoping for warmer weather when we get there. I also like your dog tales,we will be getting a Welsh Corgi puppy when we get home he will be 8 wks on April 16 th. Save Travels Jan and Jim Swan (10 yrs. full timing)
Thanks, JIm . . . I hope you and Jan get some warm days when you get back to NY. What fun… a new puppy!
Here’s one for ya,,, I soak banana chips over night in a cinamon honey mix, then in the morn get the fire a going, break out the no stick eag pan and heat it up to melt butter flavor’d crico, mix up a batter mix in the chips n’ honey, add razins and pore it in the pan and cover it. about it takes the time to roll a smoke, lift the lid to see if she’s dry on top and flip it, go uot side n’ check Timber n’ come back and put the done mountain man bread in a tin plate, then make 5 more. but ya hafta keep the fire a goin’ too or she’ll get a little sogy,,,,mmmmm good with your Jo
ps: Yes Timber Knows When Spike Is on his way over, he goes nuts for me to let him out to play with Spike,,,Wait a minut, let me git my boots on n’ hook ya up,,,Come on Dad, Spikes Hear
Banana, honey, and raisins… sounds like a winning combination, Rusty. Hey, I haven’t seen you today. Come on over and sit a spell!
That is so sweet how Timber & Spike are playing together and coming to visit. Your Mountain Man bread recipe sounds great too!
What an awesome reflection on…well…. I went from roasted garlic thoughts to missing my doggies (majorly) to thinking I have been toast-less for 2 years … to sharing with you that when friends go to Ulaanbaatar they bring me … no, nothing fancy …..all I ask for is mustard and crackers, the two things not available here in Zuunmod. I absolutely love this simple life and can hardly wait to get back “home” and downsize…..and meet you all on the road!
What? No RVs in Mongolia?
Warm pumpkin bread with butter and turkey with all the fixins’ at Thanksgiving…yummy!
I had one of those stove-top toasters for years & it worked great! Love toasted bread in the morning!
Gosh, I must be the only person in the world who didn’t know about these toasters.
Just to let you know… you’re not the only one. Neat idea – even though like you, bread doesn’t appear too often in my rig. Loved the tale of Spike and Timber working things out… doggie style. 🙂
The PTV may not be big enough for a solar oven. It is BIG, not heavy at all but takes up a lot of room. It works good, better than I thought it would and my wife loved to cook in it…but it was always in the way. I sold it at a garage sale and took a loss but happy to be free of it.
The space situation is why I’ve hesitated to purchase a solar oven. Also I wouldn’t use it much for only myself. I eat plain.
Then free yourself from the burden and live free with a crock pot.
I have to check first to see what kind of draw it has.
I have seen a 12v small crock pot. Geri loves our crock pot. Had a 12v coffee pot and it took a longer time but made good coffee so the crock pot would take longer also, I’m sure.
Chuck in NM
My weakness is home made croutons. Cutting up bread and frying it in butter, lots of butter then salting them. Oh and dropping them in soup, or just eating them. I could eat an entire pan full by myself. Why does every thing that taste so good, makes us weigh so much?
My dear Tammy, we share the same wild-and-crazy foodie urges! Bring on the butter and bread!
Love the toaster. I have a question though, regarding using Amazon. I occasionally make purchases on Amazon, not necessarily the things linked to your site. How would I purchase something and you get credit for that purchase (when it’s just something I want that is not listed on your site)? Thanks.
It doesn’t matter which of my links you use to go to Amazon. Once you’re into Amazon, anything you buy will give me credit.
For example, you can enter through a link for gift cards and end up buying vitamins, a book, and a vacuum cleaner — I get credit for all your purchases.
Thanks for asking. I think I’ll add that explanation to my shopping pages. And thanks for buying Amazon through my links!
I make a lot of purchases from Amazon, someone should be able to earn something from it. I’ll try to remember this. Have fun traveling!
I grew up with that type of toaster and an old fashion, on the stove percalator. Now as a great grandma….When we are traveling I still make my toast on one of those and enjoy it with my morning coffee. By the way, if you have ever heard of Dave’s Killer Bread http://www.daveskillerbread.com/killer-bread/rockin-rye.html They have a great rye bread. ( made right here in my little neighbor 🙂
I like my stove percolator, too.
Bread’s a tough one to get along without. We are trying to limit it and use more whole grain types. I love you new toaster…very practical!!
I hope this toaster doesn’t lead to my downfall re: weight control!
Well it’s good to know there is hope. After reading your blog for some time now I was worried about our puppy Bailey and boondocking. She loves people and is just a sweetie but let another dog come around and all 20 lbs of her decides to show them she is a little toughie. The vet called it “little girl” syndrome. Hopefully she will adjust, even if it means a poop exchange before a playdate can happen. Glad Spikey warmed up to Timber.
ok, now it has to be a ham, salami, and pepper cheese on toasted rye for lunch tomorrow, you all have me craving one. May have to try it in those camper pie irons this summer. I never thought to use those toasters on my gas stove, have only used it over campfire. I need to keep up.. Kris
I suspect that dogs, like people, become more relaxed once they experience the freedom of RVing and boondocking. Bridget has “little girl” syndrome, too. She doesn’t play with strange dogs, just tolerates them.
I love bread too..especially rye bread. It makes the best grilled cheese (swiss) sandwich. Love all of the dog stories especially the “welcome to our camp” deposits. That’s funny. What a cool camper Rusty has.
The more I watch dog behavior the more I see purpose in their actions. Male dogs, especially, have their rituals that must be performed and obeyed.
Funny thing about rye bread. When I first moved to Georgia, I asked a clerk in the grocery store for rye bread. She didn’t know what it was. I repeated that I wanted some “rah” bread. She still didn’t know what it was. I had moved to white bread country!
I think you can buy something to toast I over a campfire, rye bread isto die for, toasted, theta used to be a little bakery in SCA that had seedless rye, can’t find it any more.maybe Spike said something that he knew Timber would d get him for, so he ran home to mum to hide
I’m in the Willamette Valley, scuse the typos, one handed on an Ipad
No problem, Carol. Good to hear from you!