Toni's second day; pt 4 dinner and laundry

     I'm not surprised Toni's appetite shrunk again. She didn't have such a "glamorous" day today. In fact, her afternoon activity and dinner prep didn't go as planned. It all started with the laundry. 

     With the amount of food and energy packed away from lunch she retrieved more water and began to wash her clothes. "Be careful how much soap you use." I advised her. "My clothes stink like hell!", she roared.  While she did her laundry, I did mine, as well. 

     I took a set of my clothes and put it in my wash bag. I put in low suds soap and water. I closed the bag tightly and began to rub the clothes in the bag. When I was done, I did a rinse. I hung up my clothes to dry. I was done. 

     Toni was still washing her clothes in a bucket. She had too much soap giving her too many suds. In the end she needed more water to rinse her clothes out. She decided to take her clothes to the river to rinse out. She came back later in a frenzy. "Don't tell me I can't rinse the soap out at the river! I'll do what I want, when I want, and how I want!"  People had followed her back to camp. This was not good. They had tried to explain to her where people did their laundry---in a section AWAY from the river. Not AT the river. AND NO PEEING IN THE RIVER. NO FLOATERS EITHER!

    It was reported back that Toni not only tried to rinse her clothes in the river, but used it as her personal toilet, as well. Er Ma Gerd!! Take her away. Someone take her to a new tent. 

     When the brouhaha died down, and the people left, I was left to have a serious talk with Toni. I gave her her only warning. After that she had to move on to her own property. Which, really, she should do soon! 

     That didn't mark the end of Toni's day. She still had to have dinner. She had to make her own dinner and clean up. 

      Remembering the mess from earlier, Toni's dinner was much, much lighter than lunch. For dinner she had a packet of oatmeal with water. She cooked the oatmeal in the pot. That meant she had to wash her pot. She should have boiled the water in the pot, put the oatmeal in her bowl, and poured the hot water into her bowl.  Then, let the oats cook in hot water for three minutes. Well, I don't care. "It don't matter to me." As the saying goes. It ended up mattering to her. 

     She had to find dish washing detergent to wash her pot. She had washed her pot with industrial soap that left a chemical taste in her mouth. After washing her pot, she boiled water for coffee. She noticed a strange smell, but didn't say or do anything about it. After the water boiled she poured it in her mug. She added the coffee mix to her water and stirred. She put the mug to her lips, blew the coffee cool, and took a sip. Immediately, she spit it out! "What the hell? This tastes like soap!! This is shit!", and she threw out her coffee and boiled water. 

     She looked in her wheeled bin for dish washing detergent. She took out a lot of her equipment before she could get to her 12 fl oz dish washing detergent. Then it was time to put her equipment back. Back went the toiletries, the gardening and construction tools, and the books. Back went her nuts, bolts, and screws. Back went her knick knacks. Back went her groceries!  Everything went back into her wheeled bin. She never looked at her bin again! 

     After she washed her pot and mess kit she finally made herself her cup of coffee. Relaxing, she went to sleep early at night fall. 

www.eartheasy.com scrubba wash bag (th) (c)

Toni's second day; pt3 her luncheon

     After breakfast, Toni waited for lunch!  Well, really, she was tired from walking to the river and getting two buckets of water so she could have her bath. When her bath was done and she had changed into her last set of clean clothes, I sat down with her and talked about the importance of clean, safe water for daily use. When that was done she lay down and took a nap. She woke up to me eating my lunch. Remember the second egg I had hidden? I cooked and ate it. I boiled 2 oz of rice to complete the Cuban poorman's meal. 

     Toni wanted to know what was for lunch. "What'd ya make us for lunch?", she rudely asked. "I'm eating a poorman's Cuban meal. What are You making Yourself?", I pointedly stated.  "What? You didn't make me anything? How rude!" On and on she droned. 

     When it dawned on her I had finished my lunch and washed up, Toni looked to her pack to see what she could make for lunch. She took out her mess kit and sloppily made too much food for one person in one setting at this time and place.  

1 whole 7-oz wet pack of corn. 

6 broken crackers from the table cracker sleeve. 

1-4 oz. can of chicken. 

1-2 oz pack of pasta shells. 

1 packet of coffee, again. 

She made herself a casserole that took too many dishes to store. She just about ate the whole thing within 5 minutes of serving her food. "Toni, you have to pace yourself. Everyone is still on rations. No one's garden has come in to eat as much as you did just now." I continued to tell her, "Everyone one is waiting and praying for their fresh vegetables to grow, their fruit trees to bear fruit, and their live stock to multiply." 

     After she digested her meal, she took her buckets and got more water at the river. This time she boiled and treated the water before she used it. She took out her five seed packets and asked me for my opinion on her garden. "Did you get any more when they picked you up? You need to economize. You can't snack throughout the day because 'there's nothing to do' or you're a nervous eater'.  You'll run out of food, seeds and live stock. Milk your goat. Learn to make goats cheese. Trade your skill for food.

     "Five packets of seeds are a start. How many seeds are in them? Are they heirloom seeds? Will they grow true? Read the back panels on your packets. Choose the packet closest to our weather and environment."  (Easier said than done. The packets we got were for cold weather. Here we are in a warm area.) Other than that, she'd do better to ask a pro. I told her about the workshops the community put together. I think it went in one ear and out the next. I don't know. Time will tell. 

Toni's second day pt 1 breakfast

     OMG! Er Ma Gerd! She slept in late. That's to be expected after that long trek. When she woke up, she was exhausted. After that she fell apart. 

"Any coffee?", she asked as she stumbled out of her sleeping area. 

"What's for breakfast?" 

"Where's the bathroom?" 

"Where's my stuff?"

     "Good morning, Toni. The outhouse is outside to the right. There's hot water in the pot; just add coffee. Your stuff is next to your sleeping area. Breakfast isn't ready yet."

"What's for breakfast?", she asked me. 

"Whatever you make for yourself." I answered. 

     "That outhouse stinks like shit!", declared my roommate as she stomped back to the tent. "Coffee. Coffee!! I need my damn coffee! I can't believe they sent us to this shithole!" And on she went... 

     "I'm sweaty! I'm sticky!  This place is shit!!! I feel like shit! I want a bath (sobs)! What do I have to do to get a bath?" Then she broke down crying. 

     I showed Toni where her stuff was. I told her to break out a coffee packet and whatever ingredients she'd like for breakfast. She found her backpack. After rummaging for one, two minutes she took out one coffee packet that already included cream, as well as one flavored oatmeal packet. Hey, at least she kept it to food that only needed boiled water to cook it. 

     She took out her mess kit to have her breakfast. I poured hot water into her cup and bowl. She added the coffee to her cup and stirred. Holding the hot beverage in both hands, she inhaled the aroma of her creamy, instant coffee. The measured-in-and-out movement of her lungs helped her to calm down. The aroma and caffeine helping to ease the tension in her head, neck and shoulders. 

     Half way through her coffee Toni moved her attention to her oatmeal. She wanted to toss her cooled water out, but I warned her there was no running water here. "And that's another fucking thing here!" And off she went, again. She drank her coffee. I took her cup and bowl. I transferred a bit of the water to her cup to rinse it out. I convinced her to drink the rest. Nothing gets wasted here. 

     "Do you still want oatmeal?  I have an egg I can Share with you."  When I said that she pounced on me. "Where are the eggs? I want mine sunny-side up!", she exclaimed, turning over the pantry in the tent. She still hadn't adjusted to life without fast food or a refrigerator. 

     I went to a stand where I house my two eggs a day. I took one out and gave it to her. Realizing I wouldn't cook it for her, she took her mess kit and prepped her "sunnyside-up" egg.

     She took her pan and sprayed cooking oil on it. She cracked the egg into the pan and started cooking it over the fire. She added spices! Of all things. I don't know where she carried it, but she has one all-purpose seasoning spice. As the egg fried in her pan she thought about what else she could eat. She reconsidered her oatmeal. She drank the last water in her bowl. She ripped open the packet of her still-waiting, flavored oatmeal, pouring it into her bowl. She added just enough hot water to be able to cook the oatmeal in the bowl. She balanced her time between letting the oatmeal boil, and not burning the egg. 

     When her egg was done she took the pan off the fire and transferred her cooked egg to the bowl. Interesting combination. Flavored oatmeal and sunnyside-up egg. Sporking the food in her mouth, Toni occasionally made a face as she swallowed her breakfast. She washed it down with boiled, aerated water.   

Toni's backpack food

     I told you I shopped for our hiking packs. I already told you the food in my pack. Let me share Toni's grocery list. 

There are many similarities. 

Toni's food from home in her backpack and taped to her body

•oatmeal

•instant breakfast powder 

•powdered milk

•powdered drinks

     •Coffee

•cereal bars 

•energy bars 

•Mac n cheese 

•jerky: 

     •beef, teriyaki, chicken, bacon

•corn

•chicken

•pasta 

•rice 

•soup

•tomato paste 

And that's Toni's hiking food.