Nancy on the Home Front

Car Emergency Kit

Yesterday I talked about preparing your car for a long trip. What about a car emergency kit? You can purchase a car emergency kit, but you can also put one together yourself. Having a roadside emergency kit can help reduce the hassles of breakdowns that might occur. Vehicle breakdowns do happen and they don’t always strike in a busy, well lighted, cloudless, warm spot with flawless cell phone reception!

Even if your car is well maintained something can happen. First of all, always make sure that your cell phone is charged. Make it a habit to have your cell phone well charged every time you get into the car.

Have a first aid kit in your car. It should included adhesive tape, gauze pads, aspirin, antiseptic wipes, antiseptic cream and anything particular to you or your family. Have three reflective warning triangles. If you have three they can be placed 50 feet apart to warn oncoming traffic.

Tire gauge. Use the gauge to periodically check the tire pressure in your spare! You don’t want to get a flat tire only to find out that your spare tire is flat too!

Jumper Cables. They should be at least 10 feet in length and coated with at least 8 gauge rubber.

Flashlight and extra batteries. It’s a good idea if the flashlight is waterproof.

Rags and gloves.

Duct tape. It is the universal fix-it solution.

Tow strap or tow rope.

Multipurpose utility tool. A Leatherman or a Swiss army knife would be perfect.

Rain Poncho. Even an inexpensive plastic poncho is better than nothing when changing a tire in the rain.

Drinking water and nonperishable snacks. Protein bars are a good choice.

Warm blanket.

Snow shovel. They make great shovels that have a short, extendable handle. Perfect to carry in the car.

Kitty Litter. Works as well as sand beneath the tires for traction and weighs less than sand.

Windshield ice scraper.

It’s always a good idea to be prepared. Make sure your emergency kit items are stored in a safe, secure place in the car. You wouldn’t want them flying around if you had to stop suddenly!

Preparing Your Car For A Long Trip

There is a lot to think about when you are planning a cross-country trip. One of the most important things to consider is preparing your car! A long trip can be a serious test for your car. You don’t want to have any issues like out of balance wheels that could cause you a lot of problems.Before you leave schedule an appointment with your dealer or mechanic. Ask them to check everything out including an oil change, tire rotation and a mechanical inspection. Do this a few days before your trip so that in case there are any problems they can be fixed before you leave.

Check all the fluids. The last thing you want is to be out on the road, with your windows covered with dead bug splats and the windshield fluid is empty!

Make sure your lights are all working and the windshield wipers are cleaning the windshield properly. If you are going to be driving during the winter it is a good idea to have an extra bottle of windshield washer fluid with you.

Do you have a basic emergency kit for your car? A basic kit can include jumper cables, a tire gauge, flashlight, and a basic tool kit. Don’t forget your personal kit with a first aid kit and items like a blanket and some energy bars and a few bottles of water.

With smart phones you may no longer need a GPS Navigation system. Some cars even have one built into their system. It’s nice to have some sort of navigation system that can direct you to the nearest gas station, coffee shop or other points of interest.

Once your car is all serviced and ready you will be prepared for your journey. Remember to drive safely and enjoy the journey!I still think our biggest adventure of our long trip will be driving back to Vermont in January! Of course there is always the option of taking the southern route!

Recipe Box: Autumn Pecans

I love spiced nuts; they are yummy in a salad or as an appetizer. These Autumn Pecans have a taste of cinnamon they are perfect by themselves or they would be delicious sprinkled on a bowl of hot oatmeal! I mixed up a batch before we headed out on our road trip and I have to say they were delicious to munch on in the car!

Autumn Pecans

2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp oil
5 cups pecans ( 1 ¼ pounds)

Combine the sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt and ginger in a bowl. Set aside. In a Dutch oven bring water, honey and oil to a boil. Add the pecans and cook and stir until all the liquid is evaporated (1-2 minutes). Immediately toss with the sugar mixture. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet (15 x 10).

Bake at 325 for 15-30 minutes or until browned, stirring twice.

Cool and store in an airtight container.

October – The Most Beautiful Time of The Year

Autumn in Vermont may only last a few weeks but for those few weeks the scenery is spectacular. Vermont is a beautiful state but I think autumn is the most beautiful time of the year.

No longer are you working full speed ahead to deal with the garden harvest. Every fall we will usually take an afternoon and go for a drive to enjoy the colors.

Nothing is more beautiful than exploring the back roads and covered bridges.

If you happen to have a blue sky day the colors just pop.

There is one spot we go every year. It is one of the most beautiful farms in the area.My favorite time of year to hike is in the autumn. The air is crisp and cool and the leaves are crunching under your feet.I hope you enjoy this most beautiful time of the year. Take a hike, take a drive, just take the time to take in the beauty around you.

Saving Money On a Long Road Trip

My husband and I have been planning this trip for a long time. We’ve been planing to drive across the United States for almost a year! You may ask why? I guess the major reason is for the adventure! I drove across the US as a 12 year old with my family and I have many memories of that trip both good and bad! It will definitely be an adventure and it will also give us the opportunity to scout out the Pacific Northwest, spend some time there and decide if we’d ever want to re-locate.

Now how are we going to save money on this trip and make it an economical trip? After all we just can’t fill up the car and take off! First we had to make sure our car was ready. Once we knew the car was ready for such a long trip we planned out our route. We plan to stay with friends and family along the way. Not only will it be fun to catch up with folks we haven’t seen in a long time but you can’t beat the price of a free room!

We also planned to save on food. We packed a cooler before we left full of healthy snacks like carrot sticks and apples. Along the way we plan to stop at local grocery stores and purchase sandwich stuff for lunches. When I was a kid and we went on family trips my mother would give us candy! Bad habit, as now I want to eat candy in the car! Not a healthy choice! I also packed a supply of my homemade granola. A few individual containers of yogurt and some homemade granola are the perfect snack.

Before we left we had our route mapped out. Using your smartphone or online maps and guidebooks it is easy to plan a route ahead of time. We know how many days we have for travel and where we want to go. However, we don’t want to spend hours in the car racing to our destination. And we want to see sites along the way. By allowing for sightseeing the trip will be much more enjoyable.

Before we left I also made any necessary reservations. Driving across country is tiring and it was nice to know we had a place to stay at the end of the day! This was especially important because we are traveling with a small dog! We have to find hotels that are pet friendly. I was quite surprised that this is relatively easy to do, so many hotels are now pet friendly!

It was fun to research attractions along the way. The Internet, guidebooks and our smartphone are all good resources for finding places that we don’t want to miss.

Most important was creating a realistic budget. Gas is a major expense and using Internet mapping to determine our approximate gas bill gives us an idea of that cost.

Food costs will be a little trickier as we don’t want to eat out all the time. Having a dog with us limits where we can eat. We’ll have to resort to take out or creating simple meals we can pick up at a store. Having a small cooler in the car makes this easier.

We also budgeted for emergencies, souvenirs and any costs for tolls or attractions.

Once the car was taken care of and we prepared ourselves for traveling with a small dog, we packed the car and were ready for our adventure! So far we’ve had a great four days on the road and have made it to Keystone, South Dakota where we will spend the next month before heading to the west coast. So far Riley has been a wonderful traveling companion and the car has done it’s job! Stay tuned for further adventures!

9 Ways a Dog Is Good for Kids

The iconic picture of a family photo complete with Fido is no longer a social cliché. Studies and social experiments have shown that man’s best friend may actually benefit children more.

Trying to convince your spouse why you should get a dog? Here are some of the reasons my kids and I used to successfully argue for getting a dog at my house.

Dogs encourage patience
This may not surprise you but dogs do not speak our language. Communicating with dogs requires kids to exercise patience and teaches them to tolerate others when they don’t listen to you. Adults can learn a little about patience too!

Dogs encourage responsibility
Taking care of another living thing is a privilege, especially when that living thing can look back into your eyes and show its emotions. Kids are taught to be accountable when taking care of dogs and their well-being.

Dogs in most parts of the country need to have flea and tick control applied once a month, and that is a great thing to have a child help out with.

Dogs teach compassion
Teaching commands created by humans in a language they don’t really understand will mean that the dog will fail to comprehend at some point. Kids are forced to empathize with the dog during the training process in order to determine when the dog has had enough for the day.

Kids learn to show kindness in tending to their pets welfare. Making sure their dog gets the care they need or takes any needed medication can help teach children to be compassionate to others.

Dogs introduce kids to social behavior
The majority of canines in the world are pack animals with a social hierarchy. Domesticated dogs have shown similar behavior.

Children are integrated into a dog’s social hierarchy and force kids to interact with dogs in a manner besides human and animal.

Dogs encourage exercise
It is a fact that all dogs need exercise, no matter if they are the smallest teacup Chihuahua or the largest Great Dane. We walk our dog a few miles a day and it is a great reason to get outside.

Dogs bring kids outdoors so that they can get some much needed exercise alongside their four-legged companion. There are easy to use flea control solutions so taking your dog outside won’t be a concern.

Dogs foster imagination and creativity
In a child`s mind there is nothing like peeking around the corner of the living room and coming face to face with a dragon ready to be slain.

A child completely understands tucking your head under the covers to find yourself in an imaginary wonderland. Children`s minds can run wild with thoughts and ideas. With a canine buddy they are able to embark on their make believe adventures with abandon.

In many households, dogs are a child’s first friend and fellow adventurer.

Dogs initiate camaraderie
As previously mentioned, dogs are often a child`s first friend. Dogs are their first confidant and their first adventure buddy. The friendship between a child and their dog is a bond that is not quickly broken.

Dogs are fun
Dogs are not people and can constantly surprise us. No matter how well we train them, there is an air of uncertainty and unpredictability to them.

But it is this quality that also surprises us at the oddest of times. That weird look they give that brings a smile, giggle or laugh from deep within a child is truly one of life`s greatest moments.

Dogs teach the cycle of life
Dogs age at an accelerated rate compared to that of an average human life span. Most dogs live between the ages of 12 to 17 years of age. Within an average dog’s life a child can witness that dog grow from a puppy to an adolescent to an adult and then to an aged dog.

In the end, it will also teach them that all lives come to close. A dog, in its lifetime, can teach a child the value of life.

Conclusion
As it turns out dogs have become one of society`s greatest teachers. Through their loyal and unconditional love for their human companions they have enriched the youngest of us. With their dogs, kids can learn key developmental traits and characteristics.

Children can pick up from dogs certain behavior on how to act in groups, how to treat others and the significance of a lifelong friend. Dogs are sometimes known as man’s best friend. In our house, our dog is our child’s best friend.

Armed with our list of reasons, the kids and I set out to prove that getting a dog was a worthwhile endeavor. Our mission was a success, and we are now the proud (and happy) owners of a wonderful puppy!

Nina blogs about all things dogs, and tries to help people cut through all the marketing hype. She’s always been a dog lover and has a passion for helping find solutions to problems. That’s how Dogs By Nina started – now it’s a hub for great information about dogs.

You can find many useful information about how to protect your yard from ticks at OrganicDailyPost.

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Recipe Box: Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

I love mini-muffins. These muffins are delicious and low fat, sounds like a win-win to me! Perfect for snacking or packing in lunch boxes.

Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

1 cup light vanilla yogurt
½ cup fat-free milk
½ cup uncooked quick oats
½ tsp vanilla
1 large egg, beaten
1 large banana, mashed
¼ cup brown sugar
1 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 375.

Combine yogurt, milk, oats, vanilla and egg. Set aside for five minutes to allow the oats to soften then stir in the banana.

In a separate bowl combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Combine the two mixtures to moisten. Dough will be very thick. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Prepare your mini muffin tins by spraying with cooking spray. Spoon batter into the tins and bake until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. Enjoy right away or let cool and freeze to enjoy later.

Preparing The Garden For Winter

I have mixed feelings when it comes around to preparing the garden for winter. It signifies a change of seasons and moving into a quieter time of the year.

Soon the snows will come and I won’t be spending as much time outside in the garden. I will miss being outside working in the garden, but I do enjoy the slower pace of winter.

I have more time to get caught up on reading and spending more time in the kitchen. However, winters are long here in Vermont, so I know it will be many months before I am outside in the dirt!

Leaving the gardens in good shape is my goal. I pull up all the old vegetable plants and clean up any fallen tomatoes or other over ripe fruit that has been left behind. I also pull the weeds that continue to grow no matter what the weather.

This year I am also planting a cover crop. Planting a cover crop can serve two purposes, it can help to smother out weedy garden patches and provide nutrients for the soil when it is tilled under in the spring.

Several of the raised beds have had compost added to them at the end of the growing season. I will use a pitchfork to turn the compost over in the garden bed. This will insure that it will be well decomposed by the spring.

The fall is also a good time to check over your tools. Check and see if anything needs repairing or sharpening. Rub your tools lightly with vegetable oil. This will help prevent rust and recondition the wooden parts too. Drain your power equipment of gasoline. We usually try to run the mowers until the tanks are dry. Sort through your garden tools as well. Do you have tools that you never use? Perhaps they should be passed along.

weeding tools — Small gardening hand tools.

If we weren’t planning a trip this fall I would be growing some kale, spinach and lettuce using row covers. Nothing like enjoying fresh produce in November.

row covers, lettuce, garden, prudent living — Row covers extend the season.

It’s always kind of sad to say good-bye to the gardening season. However, this winter when we’re enjoying our well stocked pantry we will remember the garden. When the seed catalogs start arriving this winter it will once again be time to plan next year’s garden!

Nancy Not On The Home Front

Have you ever decided to do something that just may be a little crazy? We are about to embark on a cross-country trip! You may ask why. Well there are several reasons. First of all, my husband works remotely from his home office. With his laptop he can work anywhere so we decided to spend three months in the Pacific Northwest near all four of our children. We also have been taking care of our daughter’s dog, Riley, the Boston Terrier. Our daughter and her family relocated to Portland, OR a year ago and unfortunately they could not find a rental that allowed dogs. So Riley came to Camp Vermont and has had a perfectly wonderful year. She has lived with us before and is a wonderful dog.

Our daughter and her husband are now building a house and it should be just about finished by the end of the year and they would like their dog back! Unfortunately Boston Terriers do not travel well in the cargo hold of an airplane. So we will not only be driving cross-country but we will be driving with a dog! Luckily we have friends along the way that will allow us to spend the night with Riley.

After visiting several friends along the way our first stay will take place in Keystone, South Dakota where we will spend the month of October. For many, many years we have been a part of The Keystone Project ministry. For the first time ever we will be at the main headquarters during one of their international trainings. We will be helping out and participating as much as possible. Riley is also welcomed!At the end of October we will once again get back in the car and continue our drive with the final destination being Portland, OR.

We will be just ten minutes from our oldest daughter and her family. I can’t wait to be close to our two grandchildren! It will be a different experience to live in a townhouse in the city of Portland! Quite the opposite of our quiet Vermont life! However this will give us time to really experience the Pacific Northwest during the fall and be able to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with all four of our children, our two son-in-laws and our two grandchildren!

Eventually we might relocate to the Pacific Northwest, but being a New England girl I thought it would be a good idea to spend a little time there before we just up and moved. After all we have lived for many years in Vermont and really love our life here.I am very thankful for house sitters and our friends that make it possible to have this adventure. Our home is taken care of, the houseplants will be watered and someone will be shoveling the snow! I will continue to blog while we are away, so stay tuned for further adventures of “Nancy Not On The Home Front” as we make this cross-country drive! Quite possible the biggest adventure will be driving back to Vermont in early January!Follow along on Facebook and Instagram as well as I will be posting photos there!

Amazing Homemade Yogurt

A few years ago I took part in a Raw Dairy Processing Class, the description of the class intrigued me, “Learn how to make delicious soft cheeses, yogurt and butter in your own kitchen! Get acquainted with using butter molds and adding herbs, or other flavors to your final product. With simple instruction and good quality raw milk, it is an easy and exciting activity adding delicious artisanal treats for any occasion.” The class was held on a farm where they raised cows, heritage turkeys, pigs and had large gardens. The house was off the grid yet you never would have known. The best thing about the class was I leaned how Amazing Homemade Yogurt was!

Not only was the class a lot of fun but I learned that making yogurt is so easy! I always thought you needed special equipment. Other than the culture you don’t need any special equipment and the yogurt you can make at home is so tasty! Freshly made yogurt really does taste better than store bought. I purchased my yogurt culture from www.cheesemaking.com. You do not need to use raw milk to make yogurt, you just do not want to use the ultra high pasteurized milk.

Amazing Homemade Yogurt

Ingredients:

Raw Milk
Yogurt culture

Directions:

Here are the simple directions. Pour ½ gallon of cold milk into a heavy stainless pot for heating. Heat the milk to 185 degrees and then hold it there for 10-20 minutes.

This will prepare the whey proteins, which are largely responsible for the thickening of the yogurt body. Set the milk pot directly on the burner and begin heating with careful stirring to prevent the scorching of the milk. Cool the milk as quickly as possible to your target temperature for inoculating the yogurt (116 degrees F).

When the milk reaches the proper temperature for inoculation, it is time to add the direct set yogurt culture. The culture will be a mix of Streptococcus thermophiles and Lactobacillus bulgaricus plus and probiotic additions the culture may contain.

Incubate the cultured milk for the required time. This can be done easily by pouring your cultured milk into containers and placing those containers inside an insulated cooler.

Pour warm water (116 degrees F) into the cooler so that your container lids are just an inch or so above the water line. This “water bath” will maintain the temperature so that the appropriate bacteria will thrive and populate. The time of incubation is about 8-10 hours for most yogurt cultures. Place the yogurt in the refrigerator when the incubation is complete.

I inoculated my milk, poured it into glass jars and placed them into my cooler. I added the warm water, put the lid on the cooler and let it sit on the counter for 10 hours. Before going to bed I placed the yogurt in the fridge. In the morning I had two containers of plain yogurt ready to enjoy! I have always preferred flavored yogurt but I find this yogurt to be delicious. If you want, feel free to add fruit to flavor it yourself.