Daily Prompt: Ready, Set, Done
Today, write about anything – but you must write for exactly ten minutes, no more, no less.
I am writing for 10 minutes. There is nothing to say but I am writing anyway. It is a cool, sweet morning promising that autumn is around the corner. Autumn used to be my favorite time of year and I still feel that surge of excitement when there is a chill in the air.
The animals seem to feel it too. A squirrel finally got up enough courage to trespass past our garden gate to forage for things he could store for winter.
People are saying this will be a horrible winter filled with snow storms and bitter cold.
I keep telling Bill to refill the wood pile. Our wood stove can be a lifesaver in weather like that.
The worst thing that happens around here in winter is the loss of electricity. Not being able to see in the dark is only one problem.
The worst problem is the lack of water. We are on a well system and it needs electricity to keep going. So when it’s off, we can’t flush toilets (and it’s too cold to go in the woods).
We have a little generator though and if there is enough fuel, that can keep us going for a few days until we need more fuel.
Why am I worried about the onslaught of a bad winter? Well, I love studying survival tactics. I made a book of things to do in weather emergencies or pandemics. If you want to know some of those secrets, just let me know.
Friends tend to laugh at me because the pantry is always so full. You will never go hungry here they say… and it’s true I guess. Although I am not hoarding food so much anymore I do believe in stocking things up that promise to last for years.
I especially like the one about fruit cakes.
Fruitcakes in tins literally have no expiration date. This holiday season I plan to buy several fruit cakes.
They should last until I die. Right? Then I will leave them in my will to the people most important to me. I will conduct a poll first though to see who really loves fruitcake.
My friend, Janet, makes them every year to give away, and one of her friends had his fruitcake gift shellacked to make it into a doorstop. That would defeat my purpose of survival by saving a non perishable food.
I doubt anyone will ever read this but I will publish it anyway just because it is a fun exercise and I would recommend it to fellow bloggers. It will give you an idea of what to write about in a regular post.
Like I am now going to write something about what is in my “Survival Book” for those who are as paranoid as I am.
I think that was interesting! I really need to stock up on some food, poor Motor Man says there’s never anything to eat around here – and he’s right.
And, I have a confession: I think the shellacked fruit cake doorstop idea is hilarious!
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I remember this photo, Dor! You sorta roughed it up last winter, didn’t you? I always enjoy anything you write, plus seeing your seasonal photos! I love fruit cakes!
-Liz from Blue Hawaii (where it’s been around 90 degrees this past week).
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cool
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I’m not sure what shellacking is, but I reckon it’s probably what I know as varnish to harden something. If so, my grandma’s bread pudding would have made doorstops which could double as cannonballs 🙂 Loved your post, especially as I am a home baker and food hoarder!
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This piece was really enjoyable. And I could relate to several parts of it. My husband and I used to live on a farm way out in the country, and our water supply was dependent on an electric pump as well. Those times when we had no power were really, really hard. I can also remember one winter when we were literally snowed in for 7 full days. Talk about “stir-crazy!”
I really enjoy these writing challenges too. They are super practice in discipline.
I don’t tend to stock up on much, mainly because I really can’t afford to buy extra, and I never thought about fruitcake as a survival food. But now that you’ve mentioned it, I will have an excuse for buying as many as I can afford.
Did I mention that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fruit cake? — Just in case you don’t have your will completed yet.
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Fruitcake as a survival food – now that’s a brilliant idea! Yum.
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Love this ten minute exercise so much! We joke in my family that I will never have to worry in case of a zombie attack or worse as long as I can get to my mother’s where food is stored abundantly. And, for the record, I LOVE fruitcake.
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Why do you doubt that we’ll read this? I was hanging on every word! 🙂
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The permanently preserved shellacked fruit cake might even be a valuable antique of the future! 🙂 LOL! I love that idea too Dianna.
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Thanks Shofar for this grand comment. I will remember that you love fruitcake when I write up my will! Lucky you to be in Hawaii now. Enjoy! 🙂
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This makes me feel fortunate to have blogger friends like you Kathy! 🙂
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I am making a list of you fruitcake lovers to include in my will! Kudos to your Mom for being disaster prepared. We are kindred spirits. 🙂
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We were just watching the news, and a guy from the Farmer’s Almanac was saying we are going to have the T-Rex of winters this year. Nooooooo!!!!! I can’t do it again. I am going o stockpile chocolate and go into hibernation!!
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Isn’t it interesting how many people actually like fruit cake? I happen to love it too so it’s the perfect survival food here. 🙂
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Funny, isn’t it? The exercise actually made me curious about what other bloggers will write. Thanks for sharing a little bit of your inner life 🙂
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🙂 Thanks for visiting my blog Claudia and for the sweet comment.
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I LOVE the idea of stockpiling chocolate! It keeps well in winter too. And hibernation sounds like a great idea too. Just make sure you have a whole hoard of books around. 🙂
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Oh, no fear there. I have a whole bookshelf full of books I haven’t read yet, plus over 800 books on my Nook :). What a perfect winter that would be – chocolate and books!
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Thanks for stopping by Sandra…. I have added you to my list of fruitcake lovers for my will.
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Great piece? Emergency preparedness a good topic. I’d read about it. 😉
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I am thinking on it. Thanks Dorothy. 🙂 ~ Dor (Dorothy)
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You go girl! 🙂
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Bread pudding cannonballs! I love it. And thank you for visiting my blog fellow food hoarder. 🙂
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🙂
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Well ! you can include me and mine in your fruit cake lover list Dora,its the best. By the way John my other half is adamant at keeping a good stock of wood for the wood burner. He loves going logging and I swear he counts every log when he has finished cutting them up and stacking them ready for the winter. I must take a photo. Great post and pictures thanks.
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You know Dorann, I just can’t get into fruitcake – try as I might, it’s nasty!
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LOL! Sorry you won’t make my list of beneficiaries Mary. I will try to find a good substitute for fruit cake though (from my book of survival tips). 🙂
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You are all set then Rita. Just buy a few fruit cakes to keep you going during hard times and John will take care of the wood pile! If I share your comment with Bill, I wonder if I can shame him into action here.
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[…] single and surviving Zumba Fights Depression To Pursue Happiness Does Football Make You Violent? Virginia Views Ten Minute Improvisation you ain’t special Kids Today A lot from Lydia Teens SERENDIPITY WHAT A TIME Duniya Ku […]
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Fun prompt! Did you ever hear the song ‘Please Don’t Send Me Fruitcake?’ It has become a holiday classic around here. http://youtu.be/32hcbDod0yg
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No, I never did hear that song Eliza. Sounds like it goes along with all the fruitcake jokes. 🙂
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Enjoyed your meanderings, Dora. I am intrigued by your pandemic survival kit. The shellacked fruit cake is probably the best and most hilarious use of that product. Leaving fruitcakes for heirs might be cruel and unusual punishment, though. 😉
I once did a similar activity where you were supposed to write for 3 pages. Crazy! Especially when I look back on what I wrote. Occasionally, there was inspirational material to build on later. One time, as I prattled on mindlessly, I mind an eye-opening discovery – or, it could have been, dramedy. Sorry, I can’t say more. . 😉
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I would love to read your 3 pages of writing Judy, and now of course I am curious about the eye opening discovery! 🙂
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Most of it was not memorable. I filled a book with it – 3 pages at a time. Sorry, I cannot reveal my eye opening discovery. (I hate when people do that to me.) 😉
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It’s worth a try. John age is 74 so It maybe too much for your hubby if I remember correctly.
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I read it anyway. 🙂
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Well, just goes to show you — give you 10 minutes and you can write a very interesting post!! You gave me sooo many things to think about here, I hardly know which item I want to comment on. OK, here goes: fruitcake doorstop – yes! The only thing to do with a fruitcake in my estimation. Hoarding, whoops, STOCKING UP food – yes! I need to do that too. Now that you’ve whetted our appetite for your survival tips, you know you’re going to have to publish a post with them, don’t you?
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My sister sends my parents one every year and everyone sighs@!
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It’s a percolating post Cindy… 🙂
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You are a true friend! 🙂
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oh dear…I’m so late to the party. Yes on fruit cake. We always stop at the Collins Street Bakery on the way to visit daughter in Dallas. Perhaps it’s the fruit cake capital of the world…unless that would be your pantry.
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Blahaha! New name for my storage place – “The Fruitcake Capital of the World!” 🙂 Nice goal too.
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